War Beyond Words
by browniehaze
Summary: Leah pushes the Cullens sanity to the edge, resulting in Jacob paying the price. When Jacob is banned from the house until Leah gets her act straight, he's pissed. But what was Leah's motive, and why does she care for Jacob so much?
1. Awkward?

Quick Note – This is my first fanfic, so I'm not sure what people will think of it. Please leave reviews and constructive criticism, please! :]

Oh, and also **I don't own these characters **(If only!)

Chapter One – Awkward?

Jacob's POV

It was so strange to watch them be happy. Watching Bella and Edward cuddle on the couch wasn't so bad anymore. I mean, I don't know what happened, but all I know is that after Nessie was born, I honestly didn't flinch physically or mentally at them. Except, of course, if they just so happened to kiss while I walked in the room. It hurt, but not the way it used to.

As I shifted my weight into a more comfortable position, I suddenly noticed how awkward they looked. Even snuggled up, Bella's wide eyes looked like she just saw pink elephants entering the room. Edward just looked downright pissed. I don't know why I didn't notice it before. When I came in earlier today off my shift, everything just looked as peachy as pie. Was it something I said?

Edward turned his head slightly in my direction and shook his head, his mouth a flat line. _What the fuck happened while I was out?_ I asked mentally. I wasn't out for long. I popped by at 8 this morning to say good morning to Nessie, I left for about 2 hours to do a quick shift, and then I came back immediately. Nothing changed! Except for the fact that Nessie was asleep (for some odd reason) and these two were watching the _Notebook_.

Edward sighed, took his arms from around Bella's waist, and got up. Edward look at me with a look that simply said _Follow me before I drag you to the very depths of hell_. As I got up to follow him, I noticed how Bella was sitting up awkwardly, as if she was waiting for a scolding. As I reached the front door with Edward, I also noticed Carlisle leaning on the wall (was he standing there the whole time?!) and he was glaring at me. Jesus Christ, Carlisle, of all people, was _glaring_ at me. What the hell is going on here?!

_**~Sorry, I know this chapter was short, but the others will be longer! Please comment~**_


	2. Rage

~Please comment. Again, I do not own these characters; they are Stephanie Meyer's (dammit)

Chapter 2 – Rage

Jacob's POV

I followed Edward outside and a little bit into the woods. I hated it when we took walks like this, especially when he was either mad or stressed out (and clearly he was both .). Finally, when we were deeper into the mass of trees, I stomped to a stop and cleared my throat with irritation. I didn't have time for this shit. _If you have something to say, say it now. Because I honestly hate playing these mind games with you. Why are you pissed, why is Bella so freaked out, and why does Carlisle look like he wants to claw my eyes out?_ I fired a crap load of mental questions until, finally, Edward stopped and turned around.

"Why don't you ask your girlfriend, hm? Why don't you ask her why she decides to be a bitch every five seconds?" he snarled. I looked at him wide-eyed with shock.

"First of all, I don't _have_ a girlfriend. And secondly, who's being a bitch, and what does that have to do with Carlisle?" I don't like the sound of where this was going. I never hear Edward call a girl a bitch before, so now I definitely knew he was pissed. I snickered at the thought.

He let out a long irritated sigh before glaring at me. "It's amazing you have no idea who I could be talking about. How about the only sorry little trick who's been giving my family the hardest time every since Jesus was born?!"

I thought long and hard, but still, I had no idea who he was talking about. And he needed to slow down with the insults on random woman or else I might just have to slap him. Just because him and I are staring to become friends doesn't mean that he can call someone a trick without having a reason. I thought that over and realized that that's what I've been doing my whole life. I felt like a hypocrite and it was-

"Jesus fucking Christ, Jacob, focus!" He fumed. "Leah, that's who I'm talking about!"

I stood there frozen. _Oh dear God, what did she do this time?!_

"You wanna know what she did?! So Bella, Reneesme, and I were just sitting on the couch after you left and were playing a small game of UNO. Leah was gawking at us like we were the worst case of swine flu, which sort of pissed Bella off…."

Edward's POV

I sat there with a glorious hand of black cards. 2 draw fours, 2 wilds, and 1 yellow draw 2. I grinned evilly at the ladies I loved and whispered with glee, "I'm not handing out mercy today, ladies, so if I were you, I'd bow down now before you get hurt." Bella just smiled while Reneesme looked frantically at her cards. Usually I hated seeing her in distress, but now it was just too fun to watch. I had them by the throats (No pun intended ). Then, suddenly, Bella but down a draw four that made me want to throw my cards at her and kick her ass. She smiled gruesomely at me and snickered. "Draw four, love" was all she said. As I reached for the four pitiful cards, knowing not one of them were going to be the color she picked, I heard a gagging noise behind me. I turned to see Leah glaring out the window.

"What's gotten into you?" I asked politely. I wished I could read her mind, but Bella put a barrier up around the room so that she can practice holding it there. So I was stalk "deaf" from people's thoughts.

"You guys look so… Ugh," she didn't even finish. I was going to simply ignore her, but Bella stood up.

"Excuse me, I didn't hear you? What did say we looked like?" She said curtly. Bella always got mad at the strangest things, Leah being one of them. Why couldn't they just get along? But I spoke too soon.

"You guys look like shit," she snapped. "You Cullens try so hard to at least look human, but the truth of the matter is, you'll never be human." I stared at her with my mouth wide open. What did I _do_?! Why do women have such wild mood swings? Can't they just calm down for five seconds? Apparently not, because Bella strode over to where Leah was standing and stared her eye-to-eye.

"Listen, Leah, nobody's trying to pass some God damned test, so I really do wish you'd give it a rest. At least non-human _vampires_ know how to relax." Bella glared at her for a few seconds, and then smirked. She was walking away, when suddenly, Leah grabbed her wrist and jerked her back to where she was standing.

"_Excuse me?_ You snobby little bitch! I don't know what Jacob got in his head when he fell for you, nor when he decided to stay with you when you ripped his heart to shreds. You deserve hell worse than the rest of them!" Carlisle, who had just stridden into the room to see the commotion, stood there shocked. Me? I was so close to walking over to Leah and slapping her that the only thing holding me back was Reneesme's tight grip. Crap, I forgot she was even in the room. Bella recoiled as if she'd been slapped. I knew how sensitive she was too the subject of Jacob, and so did Leah.

"Aw," Leah continued with a feral smile. "Did I hurt your feelings? Well maybe you should have thought of Jacob's feelings when you pushed him away! Did you know he had nightmares almost every night thinking about you? Did you know that sometimes he woke up screaming your name as if his screaming would bring you to him? Did you know that you basically destroyed his life, and the only thing you could do to make it better was to tell him you were sorry. Sorry doesn't take away the memories, Bella. Saying sorry only made it worse, and begging him to stay almost killed his inner being. He used to be a traveling sunshine before _you_ came along! Now look at him! The only thing keeping him stable is the hybrid you gave birth to. The child with _your_ face on it! What does that say about his health, hm?" Leah stared into Bella's eyes as Bella crumpled to the floor.

I unhooked Reneesme's hand from mine and rushed. "You've got a lot of nerve coming into my house trying to preach shit to _my_ daughter!" Carlisle snarled. I took Bella's shoulders and lifted her off the ground. Carlisle continued: "If you've got a problem, take that shit outside. But don't you ever disrespect my child as if she did something to you." It's rare to see Carlisle pissed like this. But it was all too common to see Carlisle puff up whenever someone disrespected his children. It was one of his worst pet peeves.

"Oh, cry me a river. These aren't even your kids. Bella is just the wife of the poor little child you fed on a hundred years ago. In fact, all the people in this house, except for Alice and Jasper, are subject to your venom and thirst. Bella's just the sorry child who waltzed in here like a fucking dumbass from outer space. You're not a father! No, you're just the master of a coven of baseball-playing, dick-sucking, pussy-licking, vampire bats! There's a difference!"

Carlisle stood there with a look of pure agony on his angelic face. Leah had just stripped him of his and Bella's dignity in less than ten minutes. Reneesme was crying, and Bella was shaking, too horrified to speak. I glared up at Leah, and she was smirking at me. That did it. I got up so fast, she didn't even have time to blink. And I back-handed her.

~Dun, dun, dun….~


	3. Dammit

~Previously, on War: "Reneesme was crying, and Bella was shaking, too horrified to speak. I glared up at Leah, and she was smirking at me. That did it. I got up so fast, she didn't even have time to blink. And I back-handed her."~ Oh snaps!

Chapter 3 – Dammit

Jacob's POV

I stood there wide-eyed and tried to take in everything Edward just said. We stood there in silence as I tried, but failed, to collect myself. Finally, Edward walked over, patted my shoulder, and whispered "If she ever talks to my family again that way, I'm gonna do more than slap her." He walked away in silence. A few moments passed before the pure anger hit me. Why did she _always_ do this shit?! I let the heat of the fury overcome me as I sprang into the forest. I felt my body extending and my limbs stretching, and before I knew it, I was a werewolf (or shape-shifter, whatever). No one was there, so I'm guessing everyone was eating. Unacceptable. I landed on a large rock, purge all my strength into my lungs, and howl into the morning dew. It was a loud howl, louder than anyone has ever heard, I'm sure. It's a howl that only a pissed off Alpha can make. It's the kind of howl that let everyone on the pack know that if they weren't at my feet in two seconds, I was going to rip their throats, skin their worthless hides, and then eat it for dinner.

Low and behold, everyone in the two packs, including Leah, was running toward me in less than two seconds. I decided to let them know I was pissed, but I didn't tell them why. But I did notice how Leah slowed down to the point whereas she was in the way back of the pack. She knew why I was pissed.

Everyone was crowded around me in two minutes give or take. Most of them were shaking with eyes like a deer caught in headlights. Leah was in the back with Seth. So Seth knew too, huh? With that thought, Leah and Seth ducked their heads in fear. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Sam making his way through the scared throng of dogs. So many of them had so many forms of the same question:

_What's going on?_

_Why are you so mad?_

_What did Leah do this time?_ That one earned a slap in the head by Leah's paw. Sam made his way to the center and glared at me.

"_You've better got a good reason for howling like that. You're going to scare the humans-"_

"_I don't give a flying fuck about the humans." _I snarled as I snapped mentally. I turned to look at Leah, whom was still hiding in the back. _"Leah! Get your sorry ass over here before I drag you by your tail!"_ Leah patted slowly to my side with a puppy-dog look in her eyes.

"_Jacob, I'm sorry-"_

"_Sorry isn't enough, remember Leah? Remember when, not even an hour ago, you cussed out Bella in front of Reneesme! And worse, about my feelings. Leah, you listen to me, and you listen well, because I'm tired of listening to you PMS over _my_ goddamned problems! If I've got problems, let me have problems. But don't you dare use them to get to the Cullens. And that's not all, oh no, you just had to strip Carlisle to the point where he would have probably cried, didn't you?"_ I growled. Everyone looked at me in shock, so I showed them my memories of Edward's descriptive explanation of Leah's wrong-doings. By the time I was done, there was only one thing on everyone's mind:

_Dammit, Leah._

Finally, after a few moments of utter silence and me pacing around, I finally sat down and sighed. _"I'm so screwed."_

"_You're screwed?"_ Jared barked. _"Dude, why are you screwed? Leah's the one who was bitch-slapped. Leah's probably banned from their house for good."_

"_Why did she have to get slapped again?"_ Paul puffed up. _"She was just saying how she felt. Freedom of speech, right?"_

"_Dude, some things just shouldn't be said unless you _wanted_ to be slapped."_ Quil inquired. _"Honestly, I'm shocked Carlisle cussed you out. I'm even more surprised that Edward didn't slap you sooner. I know that if it were me, you'd be in a grave."_

"_Doesn't mean he has to slap her. Hey," Embry stopped short. "Wait, doesn't that mean they broke the treaty? They hit one of our own, so doesn't that mean that the treaty is pretty much crap?"_

"_The treaty has been crap for a long time!" _I snapped, on the verge of going crazy again. At that time, my phone in my jeans pocket buzzed. And buzzed, and buzzed. It took me a second to realize someone was calling me, which made most of the newbies laugh. Ignoring them, I phased back into a human. I also tried to keep myself from blushing at the fact that Leah was staring at my naked ass and probably more. I bent down (which earned several immature snickers from the newbies) and answered the phone before it stopped ringing.

"Hello?" I asked politely.

"Is this Jacob?" The voice on the other line barely yelled. The voice was obviously from a woman, seeing that it was a somewhat soft and beautiful voice, but I couldn't tell who it was.

"This is him, may I ask whose calling?" Now I almost snickered at my own poor attempt to sound proper.

"This is Esme…" she said in a strangled voice. Huh. That's funny. Usually I can tell Esme's voice from the rest of them, but now she sounded like a mix between Alice and Rosalie.

"Oh, hey…. Is everything alright?" I asked nervously. Of course not. She probably found Carlisle flipping cars over and Bella curled up in a corner. Sheesh, why do I ask such stupid questions?

I heard an impatient click on the other line. "Well," she said irately. "It's a little hard to be happy when your husband's on the verge of killing himself, when your youngest son is trying really hard to get a response from his teary-eyed wife, and when your grandchild refuses to come out of her room because she thinks her favorite dog named Jacob told Leah to cuss out her entire family. So no, everything is not alright. In fact, why don't you give me a reason to not ban your whole damn pack from coming onto my land."

Wow, she sounded pissed. And more than anything else, it hurt to know that Reneesme was mad at me. _Dammit_.


	4. Banned

Once again, **I do not own these characters** (but I do own the story plot, so ha!)

Banned

I stood there feeling hopeless. What was I supposed to say? The only thing I could possibly think of was "Look, the whole pack didn't do anything. Leah was the only one, so leave the punishments to me". However, when I said that, I heard an impatient sigh on the other line.

"Jacob, you're the pack leader right?" Esme snapped. "If you want to play captain with your pets, than that's fine. But this isn't the first time she's come in here with an attitude. What does that say about you, hm? If you can't even control her to the point where she has the balls to come in here and disrespect _my_ family! What if Edward came into your house with an attitude? Of course you'll be mad at him, but wouldn't your pack look at us as a whole? Wouldn't you be looking at Carlisle because, in this scenario, Carlisle failed to teach Edward a lesson or two?"

"Esme-" I began.

"No, don't give me that pathetic voice, Jacob," she groaned. "Look, I don't have a problem with you. In fact, the only person who doesn't like you is Rosalie. But I can't possibly feel safe if I know one of yours has a problem. How am I supposed to trust the rest of your pack. I know they're getting used to us, but what about the new ones? What if they take Leah's behavior as an example of what to do to get to us?"

"Esme…" I knew were this was going.

"Jacob… I'm sorry, but I can't let you back into the house until Leah, and anyone else who's got issues, gets their act together."

"But what about Reneesme?!"

"I already talked to Reneesme, and she agrees." Esme sighed.

That struck home. Reneesme didn't want to talk to me… Because of my pack… Oh my God.

"I'm sorry," she said before hanging up. I stood there with the phone still to my ear. I felt someone's paw nudge my shoulder and a worried whimper from someone else. I felt something wet against my face, so I took my hand and brushed my cheek. I was crying. I was crying out of pain, agony, and a frustration that I've never felt before. I finally took the phone from my ear, hung up, and put the phone back into my pocket. I phased into a werewolf and walked away from the confused pack.

"_Hey man, what happened?"_ Quil asked.

"_I'm banned from the house because you guys don't know how to keep your shit together. Esme's pissed, and Reneesme doesn't want to talk to me."_ At the last part, I flinched inwardly. She doesn't want to talk to me because she thinks I told Leah to confront Bella. Was she that naive, or did she just not trust me? Both thoughts made me whimper.

Behind me, I heard some of the newbies whisper about me.

"_Why is he being so melodramatic?"_ I heard Quincy say. I hated Quincy. He just recently phased, but as soon as he entered the pack, he acted like he was the king of us all just because he was more loaded than the rest of us. He never stopped talking, even in human form, and he never knew when to stop pushing someone's buttons. Ugh.

"_Hey man, if you don't like me, then why didn't you just say so?"_ Quincy sneered. Before I could snap back at him, Seth stepped forward.

"_Quincy, shut the fuck up! If you can keep your mouth shut for just one day, we'll all give you a nice round of applause to feed your stupid ego. But if you talk again, I'm going to kick your ass."_ Everyone looked at Seth in surprise. Even I stopped walking and looked at him. Seldom did I ever see Seth threaten someone outside of battle. Although, it's understandable, because Quincy just made a jibe yesterday about how Sue looked like the devil's wife. And by devil's wife, he meant Harry's wife. This pissed Seth off to no end yesterday, so much actually that he threw a glass plate at him. He missed by centimeters, sadly, but it showed how mad Seth was. You just never made fun of Seth's parents, a lesson Quincy failed to learn.

Anyways, Quincy looked at Seth with such violence that I'm sure that, if Embry weren't in the middle of them, there would be a serious dogfight going on. Quincy puffed up and snarled. _"You've got balls to try to cuss me out! I can buy your sorry ass and still have enough money to feed all the children in Africa."_

"_It's amazing how your scrawny ass tries to resort to money when you know you can win a fight by strength. You're a pussy, you know that?"_ Seth snickered

"_That's enough!"_ Sam howled. _"We have bigger problems. Jacob,"_ he said, looking at me. _"Can't you at least try to go talk them out of this. In our defense, Edward did slap Leah. Isn't that enough?"_ Behind him, I saw Leah flinch. She didn't like how he was satisfied with her being slapped.

"_Sam, if you heard Esme's voice, you'd probably be afraid to even think about going up to their house, let alone talking to them."_ I turned to the rest of the pack. _"Listen up, because I'm tired of repeating this. The Cullens have proven themselves as not a threat. Of course I'll go talk to Edward about not keeping his backhand strong. However, I can't really go up to him when his family doesn't even trust us."_

"_Why do you care so much about them?"_ asked Daniel. Daniel was Quincy's friend, and it was understandable that they were friends. They were both equally annoying, and they both had problems with not talking. Although, unlike Quincy's meaningless jabs, Daniel knew how to really get under your skin.

"_Why do I need to explain myself?" _I asked, barely on the edge of sanity.

"_It's because of that Bella chick, isn't it? Leah has a point, you know. I don't understand why you would stay and watch her be happy while you slowly die a virgin… Unless you were planning on getting some sugar from Reneesme…?" _Daniel snickered. I stood there glaring at him, not sure how to respond. If I get too angry, that would only feed his ego, but I can't just go without putting him in his place. But then something Esme said clicked in my head: _You're the pack leader, right?_

I patted calmly over to where Daniel was standing and got in his face. _"My love life is none of your business. And if you've got something to say, you'd better keep it in check, because I'm very short on patience right now. Sam may let you get under people's skin, but you'll come to realize that I'm not Sammy. I'm not going to slap your wrist, or give you a timeout. I won't give you empty threats either. You'll find that I'm very truthful in what I say."_

"_Oh please,"_ he chuckled. _"You won't do-"_

I didn't even let him finish. With a growl, I tackled him and snapped at his throat, causing a pained yelp to escape his mouth. Everyone started back in shock, all of them yelling at me to stop. I stopped, but I was on top of Daniel with my sharp teeth at his throat.

"_Jacob, that's enough!"_ Sam howled. However, not even Sam dared to come close to me. I was in Alpha mode.

I looked down at Daniel's pathetic face. His eyes were squeezed shut in pain. _"Look at me."_ I ordered calmly. He opened his eyes and gave me a pained look of surrender.

"_Please don't kill me!"_ he begged.

"_Silence!"_ I clawed his face with my paw, causing him to howl. I became calm again as everyone watched me in silent horror. _"I will repeat this, but this time, get it through your thick little skull. I am not Sammy. I won't slap your wrist or put you on timeout. You disrespect me again, Daniel, and I'll do more than mess up your ugly face. I don't like resorting to violence against my own pack. However, if I have to hurt someone to get through to them, then so be it. Watch it."_ I got off of Daniel and walked away from the pack again, but this time, no one followed me.


	5. Confessions

~**I don't own these characters**, but the story plot is mine (woohoo)

Confessions

Seth's POV

It was silent except for the bird calls and the summer breeze jostling the trees above. Everyone's thoughts, including mine, consisted of three words:

_Oh my God…_

I've never seen Jacob attack one of us, unless he was protecting someone (like Bella). I've never seen Jacob so, Alpha-like. I didn't know whether I was supposed to be thankful that he put Daniel in his place, or whether I should be afraid. Because even when he was protecting Bella, he never got that look in his eyes. That look he got is so hard to explain… Excitement? Anger?

"_Danger?"_ Collin added quietly. Leah, whom was still sort of hiding behind everyone, lifted her head and started patting off in his direction.

"_Leah, what are you doing?"_ I snapped. _"You are the _last_ person he wants to talk to!"_ That didn't stop her however. She kept going, slowly speeding up, until the point where she was running. As she ran off into the trees, I ran after her, barking with fury. Was she out of her mind?! Jacob almost ripped Daniel's throat, and she wanted to _talk_ to him?!

"_Maybe I can tell him I'm sorry or something-"_ she started.

"_Leah, are you on crack?! Saying sorry is just gonna make him want to kill you even more!"_ Still, she didn't stop. She didn't even slow down, in fact, she sped up. Why did I have to be the one to stop Leah from doing crazy stuff? Isn't our relationship supposed to be the other way around? I do something stupid, while she chases after me? Chasing Leah was hard, mostly because she was as fast as a cheetah in the middle of a hunt.

As I listened into her thoughts to try to see where she was going, I noticed how quiet Jacob was. It took me a second to realize that he wasn't even there to begin with. He phased back to get some privacy.

_Understandable_ is the word many of us were using to describe Jacob's absence. I was glad Jacob wasn't tuned into Leah's plan. Hallelujah.

Suddenly, I felt a vibration against my leg. I jumped to a stop and waited. Whatever was on my leg vibrated again, and again. My phone was ringing. I sighed and decided that I would catch up with Leah later. Chicks have issues.

I phased back and got my phone out of my jeans' pocket. I pressed "Talk" and politely asked "Hello?"

Leah's POV

I kept running, even though Seth was running as best he could to keep up with me. I'm so stupid! Why did I let Bella's little smile get to me? Even though I don't like her, I never wanted to cuss her out in front of her child. And then there's Carlisle! Carlisle is the sweetest person I've ever met. If there was anyone I felt comfortable around, it's Carlisle.

I noticed Seth's thoughts disappearing into nothingness, signaling that he phased back. I sighed in relief. I also noticed how quiet it was. No one was there, that's why. Everyone phased back into humans too. I was alone, _thank God!_

Jacob's going to hate me for the rest of his life. I made his Imprint think that he was the bad guy, which isn't good. I was just so _angry_. Bella sits there and plays human and loves Edward as if Jacob never even existed. I remember the days where he never stopped smiling. Even when he got hurt, he never stopped smiling. Of course, there's the exception of getting in trouble with his parents, but that's it. Seldom did he ever cry, and not because he's heartless, but because there was never anything to cry about. When he was afraid, he would shake, but he didn't cry. And when sad things happened, he just tried to make everyone feel better while cheering himself up in the process. The only times he cried was when his mom died and when Billy got into that accident. He was strong and noble and brave and everything a man should be. I felt myself get dizzy at the thought. Every time I thought of him as a man, I always felt my face getting hot.

Until Bella came along….

When she came, Jacob _adored _her. He worshipped the ground she stepped on, and not in a creepy way. It was cute for a moment. I saw the way he looked at her. I saw the way his eyes lit up with passion. I saw the way his permanent smile seemed to grow ever so wider. Of course, when he became a werewolf, he sort of stopped smiling. Sort of. He smiled with effort sometimes, but that was mostly when he was around Bella. However, he was actually warming up again around the time she jumped off that cliff like an idiot.

Every since then, every since she went after Edward, Jacob went spiraling into depression. His depression was so bad that Billy was worried he would become suicidal. I felt so bad for him. Especially when he tried to protect Bella from Sam when she was pregnant. It was pathetic. And sad. Jacob deserves someone who would love him even beyond the grave. Someone as great as Jacob deserved a _woman_…

Now the question is, _am I that woman?_

The question made my stomach feel lighter than usual. The question made me want to melt. I don't know how long I'm going to stay in denial. _Face it Leah_, I told myself wistfully. _You're head over heels for that man, admit it._

As I reached the edge of the forest, I phased back into a human. I took the underwear and the dress attached to my foot and got dressed. After I felt somewhat presentable, I walked out of the crowd of trees and walked along a path that led to Jacob's house. I tried to think of ways to approach him without pissing him off, but in the end, it was beyond me. Jacob was madder than hell, and he's not going to listen to me. Unless….

No, no, no! That's silly! I can't justify what I did because there's no excuse. I mean, the only excuse was to tell him how I felt about him.

"Leah, you can't tell him how you feel!" I shouted at myself. In a passing car, I saw the passengers looking at me like I was crazy. It's not every day that you see people talking to themselves.

Still, no matter how I tried to hide it, it's only a matter of time before he finds out that I like him. Hell, I'm falling in love with him, dramatic as it sounds. I feel almost normal around him. And he doesn't treat me like I'm inferior, like Sam does. He treats me like a woman. _So I'll give him a woman_.

I sighed in despair as a reached the beach. I'm retarded. I could tell him the sky is falling and he still wouldn't believe me.

As I was passing a large rock, I stopped. Maybe I can practice saying what I needed to say. I turned to the rock and cleared my throat.

"Jacob…" I couldn't finish. This was stupid. I'm talking to a fucking rock, for crying out loud. I might as well catch a date with a seagull. I shook my head, squared my shoulders, and tried again.

"Jacob, I know what I did was wrong, but you have to understand! I felt so angry… I don't like how she can break your heart and be happy while you slowly wither away… It reminds me to much of what Sam did to me. I know I probably wouldn't have liked it either if you cussed out Sam. But that's different! How is it different? Because…" I didn't know how to say it. I cleared my throat and tried again, even though my face was on fire.

"Because I… Because I'm falling madly in love with you…" I choked out. "I've been falling for you for a while now, and I guess I let my feelings get the best of me…" I felt tears in my eyes. I wiped them away quickly. "I'm so stupid…"

"Leah?" a familiar voice asked. I jerked up and spun around. Oh. My. God….

Jacob was standing there staring at me in shock. "How long have you been standing there?" I barely whispered, I was so embarrassed.

His dark eyes held mine while he whispered: "Long enough…"


	6. Manic Friday

~Previously, on War: Jacob was standing there staring at me in shock. "How long have you been standing there?" I barely whispered, I was so embarrassed. His dark eyes held mine while he whispered: "Long enough…"

~Once again (I'm so tired of repeating this…) **these are not my characters!**

Manic Friday

Jacob's POV

I stared at her in utter astonishment. She.. She's falling in love with me? So that explains a lot. She was being protective of me because she was jealous. Either that, or because she didn't like seeing the man she loved in pained. Or it can be both. Either way, it didn't ease the wave of shock.

I looked at her, and I mean I _really_ looked at her, as if for the first time. Her glistening black hair that seemed longer than usually blew around her beautiful face, making the illusion that she was floating. Her earthy brown eyes seemed to be lit up by an inner fire, a fire I've never seen before. Her long, feathery eyelashes casted a shadow over her eyes. Her creamy caramel skin had a brush of an adorable pink around her angular cheeks, making her look innocent. She was nibbling on her bottom pink lips. These lips always looked so soft, even when she was frowning. Her soft neck was strained, almost as if she wasn't breathing. Her long exotic body sent chills up my spine. She had the right curves at the right places, which would have driven any man mad if she wasn't so snappy. I noticed how her long slender arms were behind her back and moving in an odd way. She was fidgeting.

The blue cotton dress she wore complimented her healthy curves, matured breasts, and slender hips. Did Leah always look this good when she came out of she-wolf form? She looked at me with naked nervousness as I surveyed her. I didn't know what to say. What was I supposed to say? "Hey Leah, even though you love me and you look majorly beautiful right now, I'm still very upset with you!" Yeah that wasn't going to work. But still.

Then she cleared her throat. "I-I didn't k-know you were standing there… heh…" she started sheepishly. She looked at the ground and pursed her lips. "J-Jacob… I'm s-sorry… I shouldn't have done what I did. I was just… It's so hard to explain-"

"Leah," I said, stopping her stuttering storm of words. "Leah, just apologize, okay? Let's start there, and then we'll work up until we gain their trust again. We worked from rock bottom before, and we can do it again." It was amazing how soft my voice sounded. I thought I was mad, but I guess I let out all of my frustration on Daniel. Oh, and that reminds me:

"I'll make you a deal," I amended. "If you go and apologize, _alone, _then I'll go alone and apologize to Daniel. I don't usually apologize to people like him, but if you go apologize, then I'll apologize too." I couldn't help but grin. Oh my God, why did I bring myself into this bet? This is going to be fun.

Leah grinned too. "Okay, but I can't guarantee that I'll come back alive."

That made me laugh. "Then let's get this over with so that we can go home and recover from any battle wounds." I don't know why, but I'm not that angry anymore. I guess it's because Leah had some sort of reason instead of complete bullshit.

"Hey Jacob," Leah whispered. "About what I said earlier…" She looked down at the ground again as her cheeks blushed a scarlet red. But before I could respond, my phone buzzed. And buzzed, and buzzed. I fished it out of my pocket and looked at the Caller ID. It read Bella… I snapped it open and, as calmly as I could, said hello.

"Jacob!" she shouted in what sounded like relief. "I thought you were never gonna pick up. You usually don't."

"What's up, Bells?" I asked calmly. As I said her name, I noticed a dark shadow that seemed to come over Leah.

"Jacob, oh my God!" Bella cried out. "It's Seth! Edward called Seth because he wanted to talk to him, but when Edward and Seth met up in the woods, they were ambushed!"  
I felt my stomach drop to my shoes. "How do you know what happened?! When did it happen?!"

There was a long pause before she answered. "Carlisle went to talk to catch up with them and he never came back and he's not answering his phone!"

Carlisle's POV (Earlier)

As I went out the front door, I told myself to remain calm. Seth is going to defend his sister, and it's understandable. Just stay calm and pretend you weren't hurt that bad.

At that, Leah's words rang through my ears. _"You're not a father! No, you're just the master of a coven of baseball-playing, dick-sucking, pussy-licking, vampire bats! There's a difference!" _I shuddered as I closed the door. She had a lot of nerve trying to talk to me as if she really knew me. I usually try my best to ignore jibes about me being a vampire, but for some reason, her comment struck home. Maybe because there was truth in her words? I shuddered again.

I ran through the trees, trying to follow Seth's scent since it was stronger than Edward's. But a second or two into the woods, Seth's scent became off. It was an odd scent between Seth's scent and a totally different scent. It was obviously a vampire's scent, but it seemed like multiple scents mixed together. Almost as if a group of vampires were following Seth… Holy shit.

I ran faster than I ever had. Edward's scent was completely lost in the river of smell. I ripped out my phone and dialed Edward's number. It took four rings (each ring killed me inside) until Edwards said hello.

"Edward! Jesus Christ, you need to run towards the town! You're being followed!"

A few agonizing seconds pasted before Edward's voice became serious. "How do you know this?" I heard him whisper to Seth to change directions.

"I was following Seth's fresh scent because I wanted to talk to him too. But there are several scents now, all of them are vampires and none of them I recognize. They're all following you!"

Edward cussed on the other line. I heard the sound of the wind getting louder, signaling how he picked up speed. "Carlisle-" suddenly, Edward's voice was cut short by a loud banging sound against the phone. There was the sound of snarling, both from a werewolf and multiple vampires…

"Jesus Christ, Edward, speak to me!" I cried out. Then the phone cut dead. In one quick movement, I called the house as I ran full speed towards the ambush. The ringing was terrible. I thought I was going to kill myself before Emmett picked up.

"Hello?" he asked cheerfully.

"Emmett! Gather everyone up, and call Jacob too!" I had to catch my breath for some weird reason. Was it because I was nervous and scared out of my wits? Before I could say anything else, Emmett growled.

"Why do I have to call him? I want so badly to cuss him-" he started.

"Emmett, shut the hell up for five seconds!" I snarled. I'll apologize later, but now just wasn't the time. "Edward and Seth are being ambushed by a large coven of vampires. And when I mean large, I mean bigger than ours!" As I said this, I felt my panic strike so hard that I almost blacked out. Edward can't survive that kind of attack! My first son is going to… No, I won't think that! On the other line, Emmett gave a brief okay and hung up the phone.

As I ran through the woods, I heard the sound of snarling and snapping off in the distance. The sound echoed off the trees like an avalanche. I was getting closer, and as I smelled fresh blood, I almost cried out with joy. Maybe I could save them!

Suddenly, my joy was cut short as a blond boy with red eyes suddenly appeared at my side and punched me in the gut before I could react. I flew into a large tree and landed in a crouch. A growl escaped my lips as another vampire, a redhead, appeared behind the blond vampire. The blond one looked like he could be 18 or 19 years of age, give or take. However, he stood with a certain caution that told me that he wasn't a newborn. Unlike the redhead behind him, whom was howling like a pissed off lioness.

Then, once again, he appeared right next to me, almost as if he was there the whole time. Not even a light breeze came with his movement. _Oh crap_, I cussed mentally. _Edward can't even move that fast._ Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my side. I was propelled into the air and I landed harshly on the ground. He just kicked me.

This time, when he appeared next to me, I got up quickly and stopped his foot with my forearm. Ouch. He looked at me with feral disgust, but then suddenly, he grinned evilly.

Crap.


	7. Traitor

~*sigh* Once again, **these aren't my characters **(well some of them are)

Author's Note – This is my longest chapter so far, so get comfortable

Traitor

Edward's POV

I swear I heard Carlisle's voice, but I could hardly hear over the orchestra of growling and snapping. It was like it was raining vampires! They came out of nowhere. One moment, I'm talking to Carlisle, and then I'm suddenly tackled by some brunette, who's name I think is Fiona. I only got one look at her thoughts, and then they were gone. Almost as if one of the vampires had Bella's powers… Son of a bitch.

In the corner of my eye, I saw a blur sand before I heard the sound of a yelping dog. Seth landed next to me, but before he could get up, another brunette drop kicked him out of nowhere.

"Seth!" I tried to knock Fiona off of me, but then a blonde girl who looked no older than 12 came over and held me down. The little girl laughed out loud, and then she called over another vampire.

"Giovanni!" she called out. "Come show this traitorous swine a lesson!" A man walked over casually with a smile on his face. He had no shirt on and black and white sweats. If I didn't know any better, I would have to say he was going for a walk. But I did know better, and I was terrified. His pale chest was beyond toned. It seemed he had muscles on top of muscles. His 8-pack brought chills up my spine, and his biceps made me want to throw up.

Giovanni bent down and brushed my cheek with his hands, making me shiver. "What do you want me to do to him, Diana?" he asked nonchalantly. What does he think this is? A picnic? A tea party? My breath caught in fear.

"Whatever your heart desires. I have to warn you though, he likes it doggy style." Diana laughed. The whole world seemed to start spinning. Doggy style? What?

Giovanni bent down and brushed his lips against mine, silencing my question.

Carlisle's POV

I pushed myself off the blond vampire and landed 10 feet away. I felt panic and frustration creep upon me in waves. I don't have time for this! The blonde vampire stood there casually and grinned.

"My name is Alexander Dickinson, or Alex for short," he purred. His big red eyes looked me up and down with satisfaction and excitement. His short wavy hair was almost as fair as mine, although it was more ruffled and free, like Jasper's. Ironic as it seems, he was wearing a black suit with a blue and white poke-a-dot tie. His broad shoulders and seemingly big chest gave away his thick muscle tone. He was bigger than Emmett! That's not something you see every day.

"May I ask you _why_ you're attacking my son and his friend?" I asked calmly. _Keep composure and don't let him know how much you're panicking_, I told myself. _Put on your poker face._

"It's quite simple, my friend. Traitorous covens like you deserve to go to hell early."

The redhead started laughing darkly. "Traitors like you deserve more than hell." Her voice was shrill with glee. I looked back and forth between them while backing away slowly.

"How are we traitors?" I tried to keep my voice from wavering, but my voice cracked at the last word. Alex laughed while inching closer towards me.

"That dog is enough to prove your crime. Those oversized puppies are our enemies, and yet you guys act like old friends. Everyone's heard about your little run in with the Volturi. You're famous, Carlisle!" His grinned grew wider. "Everyone wants a piece of the Yellow-Eyed Coward! You know that's your nickname now, Yellow Eyes. The one who needed help from a pack of puppies and a group of underdog vampires in order to save your sorry asses from the Volturi, that's what you are. Instead of fighting it out like a man, you tried to be a little bitch."

"I was trying to keep my family alive!" I growled.

"Oh please," the redhead sneered. The wind blew her long red pigtails into her pale face. "Just admit it. You were too afraid to face them like a man. Everyone knows about your denial." At that, I looked at her in confusion. Alex laughed again.

"Oh now, now, Trisha, don't be so dire!"

I looked back at him in indignation. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh, you don't know" Trisha snickered. "You're so full of shit, Carlisle. I'm talking about how you try your best to _not be one of us_. Everyone knows about how much you despise being a vampire."

"I'm not…. In denial about anything…" I started back. I heard my shoes brushing against ground as I tried to find some way to get around them. Trisha noticed my movement and stepped towards me.

"Carlisle, love, where do you think you're going?" she purred dangerously. "I hope you're not trying to run away like usual. Life's too short, so let's have a little fun, hm?" She took one more step, and then, she was gone.

Suddenly, she appeared above me with her foot aimed for my head. I jumped to the side, barely dodging her. I pounced onto the thick branch of the oak tree behind me. Just behind Trisha and Alex, I saw flickers of movement. I thought I saw Seth's sandy fur dance through the green trees, but my vision was blurred as I felt a hard thump against my back. Before I could fall, a large hand grabbed a fist full of my hair. I yelped in protest and tried to wiggle free, but whoever was grabbing my hair just squeezed tighter. Alex chuckled behind me.

"Come now, Carlisle, I know you can do better than this. Just look at you, squirming under my hand as you watch my coven kill your son. Certainly you have something up your sleeve?"

I stopped squirming and smiled. "I hope so, Alex." He was just beginning to laugh, but I cut him short. I brought my elbow back as hard as I could, and slammed it right into his knee. The snapping was gruesome, even for a doctor who hears it every day.

Alex jumped back hollering and cussing up a storm. I broke his leg. Ha.

As he was falling back I got up, turned around, and punched him in the throat. He landed on the forest floor with a thump. As I was about to jump down and hit him again, I felt a slight unnatural breeze on my neck. Trish is not as flawless as Alex.

Before she could try to kick me again, I got on my hands and kicked her in midair. Pushing my weight off my hands, I flipped onto the ground and struck Trish in the ribs with all my strength. She cried out in agony. "You son of a bitch!" she slurred. Before she could get up, I punched her in the chest, earning a few snaps from her now collapsing rib cage.

However, before I could hit her again, Alex was suddenly behind me and holding me down in a restraining hug.

"Great," I muttered. "I'm about to be manhandled." I brought my head back and hit him in the face. His arms loosened as he cried out in pain. I pulled myself out of his arms, but only to be held down by Trish. Looking at Alex's face, I realized how badly I broke his nose. I guess Emmett was right when he said I had a hard head.

He brought back his arm and he punched me. He kept punching me in the face, and by his sixth punch, I was seeing stars. For the strangest reason, I wanted to give up. I felt hopeless and weak. They were right. I guess I am in denial… Leah was right too…

Behind me, I heard a wolf howl loudly. Everything stopped, including Alex. I hung my head there in defeat and closed my heavy eyes. All of a sudden, Trisha's weight was gone. I fell to the ground, my head experiencing vertigo. I wanted to just lie there and pretend I was at home in my bed. And I did, even though there was loud snarling in the background. I laid there for what felt like forever, and while I lied there, I imagined Esme lying next to me. She was smiling at me with her beautiful eyes. I was about to tell her how much I loved her, but my reverie was interrupted.

Something licked my face, and it wouldn't stop. Through my eyelids, I saw a shadow block out the sun's light. I opened my eyes to find eyes looking back at me. A large reddish-brown dog was licking my face and whimpering impatiently, his almost black eyes looking down at me in excitement and his snout in my face.

I sat up and stretched. How long were my eyes closed? Not long enough apparently, because another wolf, this one silver, was chewing down on Trisha's head. There were dogs everywhere. I felt so confused looking at them. Where'd they come from?

There was a variety of colors among them, and for a long time, I tuned everything out and took account on the different colors. _Why am I so dizzy?_

There was a black one, a chocolate brown one, there was a grey one, and colors in between. There were different sizes among them. Some were bigger than others─

"Carlisle!!!" someone shouted in my ear, breaking my reverie again. I looked up and saw Jasper this time, his large butterscotch eyes looking down on me. Where'd Jacob go?

Jasper shook me and called my name again with impatience. I didn't know how to answer. There was large bile in my throat and the vertigo was starting to hurt my head.

"Dammit! Bella!" he called out. Suddenly, Bella appeared next to him. "Bella, take Carlisle─"

"But what about Edward?!" she interrupted in panic. Jasper growled, shutting her up.

"We'll take care of Edward. What I need you, Leah, and Esme to do is to take Carlisle and Seth back to the house. Emmett and Alice are working on getting to Edward now." Bella nodded reluctantly. When Jasper left, Bella took my arm and wrapped it around her shoulder. _What did he mean? Why can't he just grab Edward?_

"I'm gonna need you to hold on and try not to pass out again, okay?" Not quite understanding what she said, I just nodded.

She lifted me off the ground too fast. I felt hands on my other arm, but I was too tired to see who it was. Everyone's voices seemed to blend together. Before I knew it, I passed out again.


	8. Square One

~**I don't own most of these characters**

Author's Note – Sorry, I know chapter 7 was a little confusing, what with the new vamps, but I swear I'm getting somewhere so relax and enjoy!

Square One

(One day later…)

Jacob's POV

I looked at Seth's sleeping face and sighed. Yesterday's battle was the most random thing I've ever been through. One moment I'm talking to Leah, the next I'm trying to save her little brother. And then there's the Carlisle thing. The first thing I see when running towards the mass of leeches is this one buff guy beating the crap out of Carlisle. Moreover, Carlisle wasn't even fighting back! I am going to have a serious talk with that guy when he wakes up.

Looking at Seth made me feel guilty for leaving the pack yesterday. He looked peaceful, but that's only because of the anesthetics. I remember dragging him into the Cullens house while he was screaming like an angry wildebeest. When I put him down on their kitchen floor, he started thrashing around, and it didn't get any better when I put him on the couch. He was bitten about eleven times all over his body, and it wasn't pretty. Vampire venom and werewolf blood just don't go together.

I could see the pale scars from the venom now. Compared to his caramel skin tone, these scars look like anomalies. There was one on his right cheek, two on his neck, a billion of them on his stomach, back and legs…

"Jacob," Sam called behind me. I turned around from the couch and looked at everyone. I had forgotten that the Cullens and my pack were having a meeting. I took note on the expressions on everyone's faces. Anger, pain, fear, and hatred. I didn't understand the last emotion, but it was radiating from Sam.

"What is it, Sam?" I sighed. I knew what his next words was before he even said them, and I could have said them for him in the exact same tone, but I'm sure that would have pissed him off.

"We need to discuss this incident,"

I chuckled. I knew it. "What's there to discuss? Seth and Edward were attacked, Carlisle tried to save them, but failed miserably, and we saved the day. Honestly, the only thing to discuss is medical issues."

Paul, who was standing next to Sam, muttered something under his breath. Sam pretended not to hear him. "Jacob, that boy is _your_ responsibility. And he was bitten, for crying out loud! You can't just sit here and do nothing!" he seethed. At that, I stood up and faced him.

"What the hell am I supposed to do? I'm not God, I can't stop this!" I pointed at Seth. "I'm just as scared as you are! None of us know what will happen! The only thing we can do is wait."

Paul glared at Esme and snarled. "This wouldn't have happened if you didn't react so harshly towards Leah. All you had to do was forgive her and let it go, like you _usually_ do. But _no_, you just _had_ to have Edward take Seth into the middle of the woods. I'm starting to wonder if you knew about the attack…"

Everyone looked at Paul in shock. Even Reneesme had her mouth open. Hell, I thought I dropped my mouth on the floor. Before Esme could respond, Emmett stepped forward.

"You've got a lot of nerve trying to blame my mother for this!" he said acidly. "Edward wouldn't do that to someone he cared about, and Esme sure wouldn't do that to someone like Seth."

"Don't you think it's a little weird," Paul smirked, "that when we came, Edward was having some sort of _sexual conversation_ with that guy? I mean, I don't know about you, but if I were really fighting for Seth, I wouldn't have given up my body so easily."

This time, Bella stepped forward. "Maybe you should get some goddamned glasses, but Edward was clearly being held against his will! Why the fuck would Edward have sex in the middle of a battle? If we're going to talk about what happened, common sense has to be part of the conversation too." Jasper snickered, which earned a glared from Paul.

Daniel came from the back of the crowd and stood face-to-face with Bella. "You don't care about Seth one bit, do you?"

"Of course I care!" she yelled. "But Seth's not the only one who got hurt─"

"Seth is on his death bed," Leah shouted. "If Edward cared about Seth, he would have fought harder. I've seen him fight through Seth's eyes. When Edward has something to fight for, then _he'll fight for it._"

"Does it matter?" I shouted over everyone else. "Right now is not the time─"

"Yes it is!" Sam interrupted. He turned to the Cullens. "Our pack has done wonders to keep your family alive. And yet, when the times get tough for us, you don't do shit. We all saw how Carlisle gave up."

"Carlisle _did not_ give up!" Esme growled, crossing their living room floor and getting in Sam's face. "Carlisle would never give up!"

Sam looked down at Esme and laughed darkly. "Ask Jacob what he saw, then. Ask Jacob what he thought about when he saw Carlisle just sitting there while that bloodsucker beat the crap out of him." Esme turned to me, at first, with pure anger, but when I didn't say anything, her expression turned pleading. I stared at her for a long moment, and then finally I nodded. Esme recoiled as if she'd been slapped. She looked hurt.

"Esme─" I tried to pacify her, but Jared put his hand up.

"Jacob, right now is not the time to be holding hands and singing 'Kumbaya'."

"Now wait just a fucking minute!" Jasper got out of the chair he was sitting in and balled up his fists. "Are you basically saying that it's _our_ fault because they were outnumbered?! First of all, Carlisle's the one who called us to let us know about the attack. And I heard him on the other line, dipshits, and he sounded like he was panicking. Seth and Edward were outnumber 2-to-7. And when Carlisle came, it was 2-to-5. If Carlisle hadn't called us, you would all be scratching your asses at home wondering where Seth was, and we'd be having a fucking funeral. So don't blame Carlisle, and don't you _dare_ say that my brother _decided_ to take it from another man!" Alice jumped out of the chair she was sitting in and held Jasper back. I could tell he was dangerously close to killing someone.

"Jasper's right," Alice said. "They made an effort to save Seth, and if it weren't for them, Seth would be dead─"

"He's dead either way!" Leah bellowed. "Do you not see him?!"

"He doesn't look like he's in pain…" Bella commented. At that, Leah turned her glare towards Bella.

"Your family doesn't give a shit about Seth! You just care about your weakling of a husband! I don't know why Jacob tried to protect you when you were pregnant. I don't know why Sam agreed to saving your sorry asses from the horde of newborns. Face it, you're just another vampire." Everyone other than Quil, Embry, and I howled with laughter. Emmett took another step forward, which caught Sam's attention.

"What are you gonna do, Emmett? If I were you, I'd be smart and step away."

"You listen to me, Sam!" Emmett barked. "The only reason why my brother was sexual assaulted was because my brother cared too much about Seth. He told me while I was carrying him home. He told me about their little joke called "doggy-style". My brother gave his ass for Seth, my father lost his pride for Seth, and the only thing you can do is laugh?! You know what, _just leave_. Since we're nothing more than _vampires_, you should leave. Because if we can't earn your trust, then it's not worth trusting you."

Everyone stopped laughing. It was like someone pressed the pause button on TiVo. Something clicked in my head.

"What about Seth? And what about me?" My voice cracked at the last word. If they were kicking us out, it's basically putting us all back at square one, minus Seth. And if I can't be here, that means I can't see Reneesme…

Emmett turned to me and bared his teeth. "If you, Mr. Alpha, can't control your pack, then you shouldn't be here either. Since they don't want our help, then _they_ can take care of Seth."

"Emmett─" Bella cried out.

"No!" Emmett snapped. "No, I can't _do_ this anymore! It's for the best, and I'm sorry, but the best will sometimes hurt."

Reneesme came from behind the couch Seth was laying on and took Emmett's hand. Emmett shuddered and looked down into Reneesme's pitiful eyes. "Yes," he whispered, "that means you can't see Jacob anymore."

_**To be continued…**_


	9. Not One Of Us

~**I do not own most of these characters**

Previously, on War: "Emmett shuddered and looked down into Reneesme's pitiful eyes. 'Yes,' he whispered, 'that means you can't see Jacob anymore.'"

Not One of Us

**Edward's POV**

I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. Rosalie's painting of an angel in a cloud was looking down on me, so I must be in Emmett's room. I honestly didn't feel like moving, and not because I'm lazy. My whole body hurts. I feel like I've just been through war. But this war was a war beyond words. I still remember the pressure of being held down, and the evil laughter. I still remember seeing Seth being bitten by yet another brunette. That brunette was one of the ugliest vampires I've ever seen, which is saying something. Something that made her even uglier was the way she sunk her teeth into Seth's neck…

That made me sit up, too fast of course, and jump out of bed. But as soon as my feet touched the ground, I collapsed onto the floor. Pain attacked me from every direction, even in places I thought couldn't hurt. Like my ass. Why did my ass hurt, again?

Suddenly, I remembered his touch. His way too rough touch. I remembered his forceful mouth, and his swaying hips…

"Shut up Edward," I muttered to myself. I sounded like shit. "Shut up before you hurt yourself." I lied there and continued to stare at the glowing angel in the white clouds. Hoping to distract myself from the agony, I observed the angel. She was naked, firstly, with her long curly blonde hair covering her breasts and a puffy white cloud covering her lady parts. Her piercing blue eyes were the color of the sky blue around her, and her small pink lips lifted in the corners, showing a delightful smile. There were small baby angels around her with arrows shaped like hearts…

"Edward?" a high pitched chirp called from the other side of the door. It sounded like someone had a thorn in their side. I still couldn't hear any thoughts, so my best bet was that it was Bella at the door.

"Yes?" I called in a hoarse voice. There was a long pause, and for a second I thought she left. But the sliver knob on the door turned and Bella pushed the door open. Looking into her eyes, I knew immediately something was wrong. With the door open, I heard muffled crying from downstairs and someone talking in a pleading voice. It sounded like Emmett. And the crying sounded like─

"Reneesme!" I jumped up, too fast again, and almost collapsed again.

**Carlisle's POV**

I sat up in my bed and looked around. I'm in my room… So was everything just a dream. Sadly no, because as soon as my head was in the air, pain and dizziness weighed down on my shoulders. It was like someone threw a car at my head. Ugh.

What happened? All I could remember was Alex hitting me, Trisha holding me down, and Jacob appearing out of nowhere. And then there was something about Edward that irked me… I shrugged and took my time standing up. As carefully as I could, I walked out of my room and down the hall. The stairs. Great.

I stood at the head of the stairs with dismay. I grabbed the side of the staircase and eased, with effort, downstairs. I was so _sore!_ Jesus Christ.

When I finally made it downstairs, I shuffled to the kitchen to find everyone sitting around the table we never ate at. Everyone looked so… _down_. Everyone looked at me as I entered the room, and then I noticed a significant change.

Esme looked away; Emmett and Jasper glared at me, and just about everyone else looked at the table. Reneesme was crying.

"What the hell happened?" I looked at Edward, who looked horrible, and almost jumped with glee. "Oh my God, Edward! Thank _God_ you're okay─"

"Cut the bullshit, Carlisle. If we hadn't come, Reneesme would be without a father right now." Jasper grumbled.

I started back, appalled. "_Excuse_ me? What did I do?"

"Nothing! That's the problem!" Esme yelled, still not looking at me. I flinched, not liking her tone. Esme rarely got mad at me, I don't see why now. When I continued to look at her in confusion, Emmett growled.

"Jacob told us about how hopeless you looked when he found you." Emmett barely shouted. "How could you just give up like that, Carlisle? Your son was raped in the middle of the woods, Seth has a gallon of venom up his ass, and what were _you_ doing? You just sat there and did nothing!"

"Now wait a minute!" I was yelling now. "Who the hell do you think you are? Jacob was there only for a fraction of the time, dammit. I fought, and I tried─"

"No you didn't." Edward whispered. Everyone looked at him now. He looked up and stared into my eyes hopelessly. "I screamed your name, Carlisle. You didn't even answer me. You let those two vampires get to you, and I guess your pride was better than my dignity, because you didn't even answer me." His lip was trembling now. I didn't know what to say. What was I supposed to say? I honestly didn't even hear him…

I leaned against the doorway and put my hand to my mouth. _I didn't even hear him_. I crumpled to the floor. _I didn't even hear my own son call for help_. My lip was trembling. "Edward," I barely whispered. My voice was drenched in despair. "Edward… You're right… I didn't try hard enough… I just felt so _hopeless_… I couldn't get Leah's words out of my head and─"

"You know what you could have done?" Reneesme spoke now. Her voice was laced with frustration. "You could have proven her wrong. You could have showed her what a _real_ father does. You could have been our hero. It's not like we expected you to kill them all by yourself, because that's unrealistic. But you could have _tried_."

"But─" I couldn't even get my sentence out. Bella was out of her seat and in front of me in seconds. She raise her hand and slapped me. Someone behind her gasped, but Bella looked down on me like an angry angel. She took my shirt collar and lifted me off the ground and on my feet. She shoved me against the door way with anger.

"Get your shit together, Carlisle. Leah's a bitch, okay? I've seen you, Carlisle, and you _are_ strong. We'll all be here for each other. But we won't get far if our leader isn't being much of a leader, or a _dad_." Then, she smiled. "I think it's about time we started training again."

**Jacob's POV**

The pack ran through the forest in silence. No one dared to go near me, and not just because I was carrying Seth. I felt so frustrated! Not just at the pack, not just at the Cullens, but at myself. I should have spoken, and I should have tried to get everyone to stop arguing. Now what's the price? Definitely no Reneesme. No doctor. No peace. Once again, we're back at square one, minus Seth. My pack hated the Cullens, and the Cullens hated them. However, now I was somehow stuck in the middle.

And what about Seth? No one knows whether he's going to die or whether he's going to change. I do know something, and that's the fact that the anesthetics Esme gave him are wearing off. I could feel his breathing escalating into short, pained breaths. His hands were squeezing the fur off of me, and it hurt.

"_There's no going back now"_ Embry reminded me.

"_Maybe we could talk to Carlisle individually_" Quil was stopped short by Sam's bark.

"_Don't forget, Emmett kicked us out. Treaty's back on, so we can't cross into their land__"_

"_Sam, shut the fuck up!"_ I growled. _"Pull your head out of your ass for two seconds so that we can find some way to keep Seth alive! If you motherfuckers kept your mouths shut, then maybe we wouldn't be having a problem. You know, there are days where I wish you never phased, Sam."_

"_Oh please,"_ Sam sniffed. _"At least I know how to raise my voice. You're too quiet and your way too big of a pussy to be Alpha, so let it go." _

I kept running in silence. I had nothing to say to him, but more to say to Billy. No matter how much I tried to ignore Sam's words, they rang in my ears. He was right, and I knew it. But that's about to change.

It's about time I took my place as Alpha.


	10. Plead Your Case

~**I don't own these characters, but I own the plot and the heart-squeezing cliffhangers, so ha! **

Plead Your Case

**Jacob's POV**

I laid Seth's withering body onto Sue's couch. Behind me, I could hear Sue's sobbing, and when I turned around, mascara was running down her flustered cheeks as she cried. "Is he gonna be okay?" she whimpered. This was bad. Sue still hasn't quite gotten over Harry's death, so watching her son dying wasn't helping her pain.

"Don't cry, Sue. Everything's going to be alright." I crooned.

"How?! Emmett kicked you out, and Lord knows what Carlisle's doing─"

"Calm down, Sue," I stopped her. "Seth's not going to die, not while I'm here. This is my fault. I've let the pack run their mouths for too long. It's about time I become pack leader."

"But you're already pack leader… Wait, you mean of both packs?!" her eyes widened in shock. "Jake, you do realize that you have to either kill Sam or make him bow to you in defeat in order to become the leader of the whole pack. And the pack is _huge_! You can't possibly expect to be leader of everyone. That's like Germany trying to take over the whole world!"

"I love how you compare me to Hitler." I muttered.

"Jake," she continued as if I hadn't spoken. "Jake, you do know this, don't you? You know that once you become Alpha, you're hardly going to have a personal life? Is Reneesme worth that much to you?"

"This isn't about Reneesme. This is about putting the pack in check. You know what my mom once told me?" I asked. "She told me that you can't be a leader without knowing both sides of the story. She told me that a leader doesn't always stick to old customs or laws. She said that a leader knows when he or she is wrong. Sam is not a leader. He's been there, but all he's doing is regurgitating old rules and prejudices."

Sue stood there dazed by the conversation. "Jake… Are you sure about this?"

I grinned widely. "Sue, I've never been surer about anything."

**Billy's POV**

When I heard about what happened, I almost had a heart attack. Seth was on his deathbed, the Cullens are pissed, and it seems as though Jacob might crack at any moment. Or at least that's what I thought.

My only son was standing in front of the elders and me with a beaming smile on his face. This is the type of smile you can only see on Jacob in these sorts of times. I'm serious. It was an ear to ear smile that would make anyone want to go to tears. I can't even remember the last time I saw him smile like this. He smiled at me when I was in the hospital. He told me "Dad, you're gonna be okay, I promise!" It broke my heart. But somehow, I knew why he was here today, and I've never been more proud.

I couldn't help but grin back. "Hey, short-stuff, what's up?"

"Nothin' much, just getting taller." He chuckled. The elders beside me cleared their throats impatiently, which made me laugh a little. Then I cleared my throat, as if it was going to wipe away my smile (it didn't) and got serious.

"So I'm guessing you're here on account of Seth's injuries and the issue with the Cullens?" I guessed. He nodded firmly. He turned to the rest of the elders and pleaded his case.

"I have realized that I've been too loose with things. Ever since I've phased, I've been neglecting my position as a leader. I let myself fade into the background for too long. I have a request, and it's going to sound crazy considering my track record. But I would like to have your permission to challenge Sam to claim the title of Alpha." He said firmly.

There were was an eruption of murmurs and confusion throughout the room, but I just kept smiling. Beyond Jacob, I could see his pack. I don't know when they entered the room, but they were here long enough to be shocked by Jake's request. Only Quil and Embry were grinning, and they were grinning like idiots.

Peter Windfellow, one of the elders, stood up and looked sternly at Jacob. "It's practically impossible to run a pack this big. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but─"

"Now what just a minute, Peter." I snickered. "You didn't even let him tell you his plan. Let him plead his case before we all go rushing off into conclusions." Jacob looked at me with a silent _thank you_ in his eyes. I nodded him on.

He cleared his throat and began. "Looking at my pack, I know our biggest problem is moving forward. We are so hung over on old customs that we are behind other packs."

Peter didn't falter. "And how do you suppose we "modernize" ourselves, because our old customs have kept us─"

"No offense, elder," Jacob amended, "but our old customs no longer apply." Everyone gasped. No one's ever corrected an elder before, but I wasn't worried. It's all part of the game.

"And why do you say that?" I asked politely. I actually knew _why_, but I just wanted to poke fun. Jacob caught that and smiled.

"I've Imprinted on the Cullens' child. And it just so happened that the Cullens are vampires. Seth and Carlisle's son Edward I quite close. And they're not the only ones whom are close. Esme and Emily have gotten along well in the past years."

"What does their relationship with us have to do with customs?" Peter grumbled.

"Quite simple. We gain their trust. With thrust comes great things. We have to have some sort of mutual relationship."

"Like…?" Peter waited.

Jacob's expression turned serious. "We give them our strength and knowledge for the other side of the forest; they give us hospitality and medicine. Carlisle is the only person who can help us in times of medical emergencies. In fact, if Carlisle weren't so badly injured, I'm sure Seth would be standing here right now. But he's not." He added sadly.

He continued. "We don't know what Seth will become, but my intuition's telling me that he's not going to die. However, if he wakes up half vampire, we're going to need a vampire there. If Carlisle's here, maybe he can teach us about medicine so that we can take care of ourselves. And in return, we tell him things we already know. I have faith in the fact that he won't do anything with that knowledge."

Peter was unsure, I could tell. But Jacob was swaying his opinion. "What, so we're just going to get soft with every vampire that seems friendly?"

Jacob smiled. "I thought about that too. You see that's another plus. If we combine forces with the Cullens, then they can be our filter. If there are passing vampires whom are Carlisle's friends, then he can verify with us and give warnings to his friends. He did that when the Volturi came for Reneesme. All the people he gave warnings to didn't have any problems."

"And what if the Cullens don't know passing vampires?" Peter asked warily.

"Same thing, except if they find that the passing vamps are dangerous, then they'll give us a heads up. And vamps they don't kill we can kill." He sounded so sure of himself. My smile grew wider. Sam, on the other hand, wasn't at all happy.

"Are you really going to ask them to kill their own kind?" he laughed without humor. "That's a little much, don't you think?"

Jacob spun around and flashed his beaming smile at Sam. His smile even made Leah giggle. "Sammy, they've been doing that for years. Anyone who's challenged the Cullens either is dead or ran away with their tails between their legs. Vampires fight for land all the time, and what with Reneesme there to protect, you can imagine them being on red alert."

Sam shrunk back and looked away. He knew Jake was right; he just didn't want to admit it. I looked to my fellow elders and sighed in relief. They all looked won over. Even Peter looked satisfied.

"Okay," Peter said, "I'm glad to see you've got that sorted out. But what about the large pack size?" Jacob looked up, his smile not faltering.

"A pack doesn't depend on its leader. A pack depends on each other. Of course, I'll be making the decisions, but this is a democracy now. I know it's going to be tougher than nails, but once everything's back to normal, I'm sure it'll ease up."

"That's a heavy load to put on your shoulders" I commented.

"He's not going at this alone." Quil suddenly busted out with glee behind him. He started flexing his muscles, which sent Jared into a laughing fit. "He's got us, and anyone else in the pack who doesn't agree is just going to have to deal with it!" He looked at Daniel and Quincy specifically, but I wasn't worried. I've heard about Jacob's little lesson he taught Daniel, so I'm sure Daniel's not stupid enough to piss Jacob off again.

Jacob looked at me with that same silly grin on his face, and for the moment, I saw his mother in him. It brought tears to my eyes, tears I had to fight back. _I'm so proud of you_, I wanted to tell him. But that had to wait, because there was one order of business that would falter his gracious smile.

"Jacob, we give you our permission. However," I warned, "the title is not permanent until you and Sam fight until one of you give up." Everyone stopped smiling. Even Jacob stopped smiling, which is something I wish didn't happen. He nodded firmly. At that, Sam walked forward and stood next to Jacob. I took them both in account, giving them each a nod.

"May the best one win. And whoever wins decides," I sighed, "whether to keep, kill, or banish the loser…"


	11. Used

**I'm sorry about the delay. I'm sick, so I'm gonna be a little slow with chapters for a while. Oh, and I know I've stayed away from the whole Jacob/Leah thing for a while, but I swear that you'll get your fix soon enough.**

Used

**Leah's POV**

I lied on my makeshift bed and thought about yesterday. In two days, Sam and Jacob are going to be battling it out for the title of Alpha. I turned uncomfortably to the side. The people I love most are going through changes way too fast.

Sam and Jake are going to kill each other. I sighed remorsefully. Seth's changing into something so weird that I'm scared that my little Seth's gonna be gone forever. His glowing smile's gonna be lost behind his vicious teeth, and his warm brown eyes are going to be forever red─

"That's enough, Leah!" I yelled at myself. I'm not doing anything productive while lying here, so maybe I could go distract myself with something… Like cooking! I jumped out of the bed and skipped to my apartment kitchen. Ever since I got this apartment by the beach, I haven't been able to enjoy its good qualities. Like the beautiful view of the beach and the horizon. Or the large flat-screen in the main room. I need to relax before the battle.

I took out all of the ingredients to make Homemade Chicken Alfredo and got to work. I was so deep in thought about making the Alfredo sauce that I didn't even move when I heard the door open. If anyone was breaking in, they were going to be in for one hell of a night. I was mixing the sauce ingredients in a large bowl when I heard footsteps behind me. I turned absentminded to see who it was, and froze.

Sam was standing there, shirtless and dripping wet, and he was smiling like an idiot. I always loved that smile, and I always loved the way he stood when he smiled. Like he was confident, and yet very shy. His dripping wet shirtlessness made me melt with pleasure, but I didn't show it. It would be a warm day in the North Pole before I let him know how hot he made me feel.

We stood there staring at each other for what felt like a million years, until he finally cleared his throat. "Are you making that homemade Alfredo again?" he chuckled. "Ever since Harry taught you how to make that recipe, you've been on it like ugly on an ape."

"Aw, SpongeBob quoting, are we?" I giggled. When Sam and I used to go out, we would sometimes curl up on the couch and watch random shows. One time, we watched SpongeBob SquarePants on a snowy day, and we were laughing so hard that my dad thought we were going to have a heart attack. Ever since then, as silly as it sounds, we would watch SpongeBob and laugh our asses off. Those were the days… I think Jacob and I used to do that whenever Billy asked me to babysit. We would laugh too─

"So," Sam said, interrupting my reverie, "do you need help?"

"Um…" I don't think I can relax with Sam's sexy ass cooking right next to me, but I didn't say it. "Sure. Can you stir this while I prepare the chicken?"

On that note, we were off into our own little Rachel Ray world. Sam and I laughed and had nice small talk. Finally, all the necessary ingredients were in a large pot and simmering. It smelled heavenly. "Yum…" I swooned over the countertop. "That smells _so_ good!"

At the corner of my eye, I caught Sam staring at me intensely. When I turned to look at him, he looked away quickly with a faint blush in his russet cheeks.

"What is it, Sam?" I asked curiously. He didn't look at me, but he sighed and admitted, "You look beautiful today."

I felt my insides turn into mush as I processed his words. _He thinks I look beautiful… huh?_ That was the most random thing that's ever come out of Sam's mouth since we dated. I always loved it when he said random stuff…

I stopped myself. _You aren't dating him, Leah. That ship has sailed!_ Still, I grabbed the countertop to prevent myself from fainting. "Wow," I chuckled sheepishly, "um, thanks, Sam…" Now I was the one looking away. Dammit, I hated it when he did this. He always knew how to knock down my senses, especially when I was cooking.

I felt Sam's eyes on me for a long time. There was a long awkward silence that seemed to stretch on forever. It's amazing how _loud_ awkward silences can be, especially ones like this. I didn't want to be the first one to crack, but I was slowly losing it. Finally, just when I was about to explode, I heard Sam cross the room. He was close to me in seconds, with his uneven breath sliding down my throat.

His warm hand cupped my turned cheek, caressing it softly, making shivers run up my spine. He took that same hand and took my chin and forced me to look at him.

His face was so _close_! Our faces were so close together that our foreheads were practically leaned against each other. His auburn eyes burned intensely into mine, and for a second, I felt that all I had to do was look closer and I would be able to see his soul. His uneven breath brushed across my face, making my cheeks trickle with warmth. He smelled like peppermint.

"Leah…" he breathed. My whole body shuddered at the sound of my voice passing through his lips, almost making me collapse. He took my check into his palm again, except this time he leaned in, making his lips brush mine lightly. There, in my very own kitchen, Sam and I made love.

**Jacob's POV**

In all honesty, I was scared shitless. It's not that I'm afraid of Sam, because I'm not. But what if something happens? What if he gets the best of me? He's been through this longer than me, so he knows more. However, even if I do win, what will I do with him? It would be more than a bit awkward to have him on the pack. But I can't banish him! And I definitely can't kill him! I won't do that to Emily. And I won't do that to Leah, either.

Leah… Her blushing face ran across my mind, making my own face burn. When did I become so heavily attracted to her? Usually, she just pisses me off. But whenever she lets her guard down, she becomes so… Beautiful? Naw, that's too much… But it's true…

"Jacob!" Quil suddenly shouted, breaking my trance. I forgot. I was still helping Quil clean up his room. God knows he needed my help. When I first came in here, I couldn't even see my ankles, let alone the floor. There were clothes and other crap strewn all across his small blue room. There was something blue on his wooden dresser, which was cheese the last time I came by. When I asked him what happened, he simply said that he never had enough time to properly clean his room.

Right now, I was cleaning off his awful dresser, which smelled so bad that I thought I might pass out. I turned around and saw Quil staring at me in confusion. "Dude, did you hear a word I just said?"

I blinked. "Er…" I laughed halfheartedly. "Sorry, I was thinking too much…"

Quil, whom was currently digging through the layer of clothes across his floor, stood up and put his hands on his hips. "Hey, you aren't nervous, are ya?" When I didn't answer, he threw his head back and laughed. "Don't worry! You'll kick Sam's ass for sure!"

I looked away, my face still burning from the mental image of Leah at the beach. Which reminds me…

I turned back to Quil, still blushing, and blurted, "What if someone unexpectedly confessed their love to you!"

Quil stared at me in, at first, disbelief. Then his face contorted into a mask of pure amusement. "Jake… Are you in love with someone else?"

"No!" I roared. "No! No! No!"

Quil's subtle smile turned into a full on grin. "O.M.G. Jake, don't even lie! Who is it?" Quil hopped across the room, tripping along the way, and stood close to my blushing face. "Tell me, or else I'm telling Billy."

I looked at him in pure horror. My dad would laugh at me for weeks if he found out that I liked Leah of all people. "You wouldn't _dare_!"

Quil pulled out his phone and dialed a number. I thought he was dialing Embry's number, but then he showed me the number. It was Billy's number.

"How in the _hell_ did you get my dad's number?!" I growled. Quil laughed.

"Just so happened that I got a hold of your phone. But that's not the point."

"Quil!" I tried to make a grab for the phone, but he dodged me quickly, sending me into the mass of smelly clothes. I got up quickly and tackled him before he could move. I knocked the phone across the room with my hand and held Quil down with my other. Quil was still laughing.

"Dude!" he cried out between his laughing fits. "Dude, take a chill pill!" he finally stopped laughing, which calmed me down slightly. I let him up, but giving him a look that dared him to get the phone. He sighed and leant against the navy blue wall.

"Hey," he said quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. It's just…" he struggled to find words.

"It's just..?" I questioned. He looked at me with pure joy.

"It's just that I'm happy you've moved on from Bella." I sat there too shocked to move. I never knew that he wanted me to get over her. I mean, he never mentioned it. Hell, he never even thought of it.

He continued. "I've watched you dwell over that woman for too long. I've watched you give up your sanity. I was so close to cracking. I knew it wasn't _her_ fault. It was your fault. _You just wouldn't let go_. I've prayed every night that you'd find somebody else."

I looked away, still not sure what to say. I heard a sobbing sound, which made me jerk and look up. There were tears in Quil's eyes. "I'm just so _happy_…" he sighed. A tear strayed down his cheek, and for the first time in years, I watched Quil cry.

"Oh Quil…" I _still_ didn't know what to say. Should I say "hey, thanks for praying"? Finally, I just settled with putting my arms around Quil. He nestled into my chest and cried softly. I've never seen him this vulnerable about me before. Through the bile in my throat, I spoke.

"Why are you crying over me, Quil? If you wanted me to move on, you should've said it…"

Quil laughed into my shirt. "Bullshit, Jake. Bullshit. You would've thrown a fit that would put a PMSing lion to shame. And I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because my best friend might have a chance at not being depressed anymore…"

That made me flinch. I didn't think I was depressed. Ever since Reneesme was born… Of course… I am depressed, aren't I? My Imprint on Reneesme's the only thing keeping me from breaking into pieces… So when did I find the strength to fight Sam when it had nothing to do with Reneesme…?

_Ever since you looked into Leah's eyes and saw the injustice that basterd did to her… Ever since you saw yourself in Leah's poor eyes… Ever since you watched Leah weep over Seth the way you wept over your father when you thought he was going to die… Ever since you started falling for her…_

"Hey, you still wanna know who it is?" I tried to sound nonchalant, but it came out a little hoarse.

Quil looked up, his eyes puffy from tears, and smiled. "Hell yea, I wanna know!"

I looked away and blushed. "Um… Actually, it was Leah…" There was a long pause before I heard Quil gasp. He jumped out of my arms, which made me look at him. His mouth was hanging open as if it was broken.

"Leah?!" He shouted in disbelief. "Leah's the girl who confessed her love to _you_?! I thought she hated you?!"

"And I thought I hated her…" I murmured, face blazing with embarrassment. Quil grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. He was smiling again.

"This is _amazing!_" he shouted with glee. "It's like terminating two birds with one stone! It's so obvious, why didn't I even see it! You've both had your hearts broken, and you've both been living in misery. Why not comfort _each other_! It's perfect!"

I couldn't help but smile at his excitement. "Hey, calm down. I didn't even say I loved her─"

"But you're getting there!" Quil sang. "Hallelujah! Say it out loud, Jake! Say it to the heavens above!"

"I'm red and I'm proud?" I snickered. Quil punched my shoulder.

"No, say how you feel about Leah."

"Um… I like her…?" I said uncertainly. Quil looked like he wanted to slap me.

"Nope, do it again." He crossed his arms and glared at me. Finally, I couldn't help myself.

"I'm falling for Leah Clearwater!" I bellowed. Quil jumped up and grinned.

"Say it again, brother! Say it like you mean it!"

I jumped up too, and with all of my strength, I yelled "I'm falling madly in love with Leah Clearwater!"

**Leah's POV**

We lied on the cold kitchen tiles staring at each other. Our skin seemed to melt against each other as we moaned into our own version of happiness and pleasure. I don't know when, but Sam turned off the oven to keep my Alfredo from burning.

His lips bit onto my earlobe, sending waves of ecstasy through my body. As I moaned out his named, he whispered sweetly into my ear, "No matter who I Imprint on, I will _always_ love you…"

I wanted so badly to say the same, but a sudden mental image of Jacob smiling sweetly at me stopped my words in my throat. The only thing I could do was to bury my face into Sam's neck and bite down; almost as if the pleasurable pain would make him go away.

_Is this what I really want?_

_**To Be Continued…**_


	12. Hurt

~**I don't own these characters, but I own the plot twists**

A/N: Thanks for hanging in there. I've been really slow in updating thanks to this sickness I have, but I'm gonna catch up. Also, reading your comments make me laugh, because my original intention was to make the readers hate the wolf pack, but it happened to be the other way around! Lol, it's okay though. That only makes it better. Enjoy!

Hurt

**Emily's POV**

I've been lying in my bed for hours waiting for Sam to come home. At first, I didn't mind. Sometimes, there tends to be surprise missions or something. But I just got off the phone with Billy, and he said that Sam went to talk to Leah about something important.

I know it has to be werewolf business, but I can't help but be a tad bit jealous.

Which is stupid, seeing that _I'm_ the one that took Sam from _her_, not the other way around. I'm the one he Imprinted on, making him leave her in the dust. If anything, I should be grateful that she's not mad at me… Or is she?

I turned uncomfortably in the bed. I was still wearing the pink and white bunny lingerie that Kim bought me. I wanted to surprise Sam so that he could relax, but it's really hard to surprise someone when they're not even home. I considered picking up the phone and calling him, but then that would be rude. I wouldn't want to interrupt whatever they were talking about.

**Leah's POV**

He pulled me closer, killing any gaps between us. Our fits of moaning and groaning turned into a lustrous language of pure ecstasy. Then, a thought passed through my mind:

_Wait, what about Emily?_

"Wait, Sam stop." I whispered into his ear. He stopped reluctantly and looked at me in surprise.

"Is something wrong?" He asked, concerned. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, no you didn't hurt me…" Talk about a mood killer. I was already feeling guilty about Jacob, now I have to worry about my second cousin crying her eyes out. Maybe my guilt was a sign from God. A sign saying _If you don't cut this out, you'll be in for hell later_. And what would mom say? What about dad? I can imagine Harry scowling at me now…

And what about Seth…?

"Leah?" Sam asked, clearly perplexed. I pushed him off of me and sat up. We were still on the kitchen floor, which was sort of weird. My back hurt like a bitch, which was another sign. There are so many signs telling me to stop… How did I miss them? I feel pathetic. And angry.

I turned to Sam and frowned. He was naked, which would have turned me on any other time of the month except now. Now, he was just a reminder of my mistakes. _This_ was the man who made me cry all those nights. _This_ was the man who always tried to use my emotions against me to get what he wanted. And here I am, letting him fuck me on my kitchen floor when I'm supposed to be eating Alfredo.

"Get out." I ordered while standing up. I grabbed my underwear and put them on quickly. When I was going for my bra, Sam grabbed my hand.

He was scowling. "What's wrong? Just seconds ago, you and I were─"

"Fucking! Just seconds ago, we were _fucking_ on my kitchen floor!" I snarled. I yanked my hand out of his, grabbed my bra, and put it own hastily. He still wasn't getting dressed.

"I thought we were making love…" He said in a sweet tone. But sweet talk wasn't gonna work now, and probably not _ever_ again.

"Jesus, Sam, you just don't _get_ it, do you?!" I yelled, grabbing my blue skinny jeans. "You can't just break my heart, leave me for my cousin, and then try to get whatever I can offer. That's the same shit Bella tries to pull."

Sam grabbed my hand again, except this time I took it out of his quickly and slapped him. He fell back against the dishwasher hard. I pulled on my jeans quickly, desperate to run away. But as I grabbed for where my shirt was, I realized it wasn't there. I turned and saw that Sam was holding it in his hand with and angry mask on his face.

"What the hell is your problem? I thought you wanted this?!" He seethed.

"Sam, give me my shirt before I get violent."

He still didn't hand it over. In fact, he just pulled it behind his back and laughed without humor. "So this is how the story goes, hm? I cheat on Emily for you, and you just throw it back in my face like a bitch."

That did it. With one quick movement, I slapped him harder. When he fell over, I snatched my shirt out of his hand and put it on. I was about to run out of the back door when I felt pressure on my arm. Sam was holding me back.

"Dammit, Sam! Let me go!" I barked. I could feel heat rolling up my back, signaling how close I was to phasing. Nevertheless, he didn't let go.

Suddenly, the heat left just as quickly as it came. I stopped pulling against his strength and just stood there. It took me a second to realize I was crying. A vicious sob ripped through me, knocking me to the ground. Sam let go of my arm and looked down at me in guilt.

"I'm sorry─" he began

"_Don't_…" I whimpered. "Please, just don't. You're worse than Bella. I thought _she_ was bad, but at least she knows when she's wrong. At least she _tries_ not to hurt Jacob. You…. You just don't even care, do you? All you care about is yourself, Sam…"

When he looked at me dumbfounded, it compelled me to say what I've been dying to say for years. "You can't just leave me and then come back. That's not how it works, Sam. Because now you've not only hurt me, but now Emily's in the heartbreak circle. I thought you'd be good to Emily, but I was wrong. Jacob's right, you're not an Alpha. You're just some immature fuck who rips people's hearts out whenever you want something. Newsflash, Sam, I'm done. I'm done with you, I'm done with this, and I'm done with the love circle. Take that shit somewhere else."

With that, I got up and left, leaving Sam staring after me in shock.

**Emily's POV**

I sat up impatiently and looked at the clock that read 2:12 am. _What could they be talking about?_ Sirens were blowing in my head, telling me something was wrong. I grabbed the phone and dialed Leah's number. If I dialed Sam's number, he'd just lie to me and try to sweet talk me like usual.

The phone rang two times before I heard someone answer, "Hello?"

"Hey, Leah! It's Emily!" I tried to sound enthusiastic, but it came across a little desperate. I need to hold it together. Sam's didn't do anything… Right?

"Oh hey…" she didn't sound all that happy. In fact, it sounded like she was crying.

"What's wrong, Leah?"

There was a long pause before I heard her sob on the other line. "Emily, I am so sorry!"

And then, the water gates opened and flooded my heart with remorse as she explained the scene between her and Sam in the kitchen.


	13. There's A Demon In The Closet

~**I don't own these characters**

Author's Note: This chapter's a little shocking (hell, I even shocked myself writing this), so be prepared. All will be explained in later chapters.

There's A Demon In The Closet

**Emily's POV**

I sat in my living room lounge chair for what felt like forever. I sat there twirling red wine in a wine glass and taking large sips. When I ran out of wine, I simply got more. It was around 6:00 am when I finally ran out of wine.

I considered going to the store, but I didn't. One: well, the store isn't even open. And two: if I leave this house, I'm gonna go find Sam Uley and kill him.

I stopped crying around two hours ago. Anger replaced the sadness, but then numbness replaced the anger an hour ago. Bella once described to me the numbness she felt when Edward left; was this the same?

No.

There was a whole in my chest, but it was not the same. At least Edward left her like a man instead of running behind her back. At least Edward didn't cheat on her.

If I were looking from the outside in, I would say that I'm being selfish. Sam always loved Leah, and I knew that. They were the original lovers.

_So did he really have to love you as if you were worth the time?_

I sunk deeper into the arm chair and sighed. I wonder who's gonna leave whom first? Should I leave him out of anger or understanding? If he leaves me, what would be _his_ motive? Would it be because he loves someone else?

Now I see another reason why to kill Sam Uley. He's a menace to society.

He just swoops in and sweeps any woman off her feet, and then when times get tough, he drops her. I know that doesn't sound fair, but it's true. If he knew he still loved Leah, then why did he ask to marry me? Did he _honestly_ think it was mandatory? Would Jared do that to Kim?

Are Imprints that easy to break?

I still don't know why I should break up with him. I mean, I know I should, but the reason is still a mystery to me. Should I feel heartbroken? Is feeling sad irrational? I'm the other woman, aren't I?

It's a catch-22, a double edged sword.

Since Leah turned Sam down, I wonder if he's gonna come in here and pretend nothing ever happened? Just like how he ignored his father when he asked for forgiveness last summer. Sam's just gonna turn a cheek and pretend.

Well, this isn't a fairy tale.

Keys jostled outside of the door, signaling someone's approach. I waited as someone unlocked the door and opened it, inviting the cool morning breeze in. The door shut quietly, too quietly, almost as if the person was trying not to wake someone. So he thought I was asleep?

Sam tiptoed past the armchair, obviously not noticing me glaring at me. He peeked into the room and froze when he saw that no one was there. He turned around slowly and gasped when he finally saw me sitting in the armchair still wearing lingerie. He took in my vacant expression and the four wine bottles on the floor and sighed.

"What are you doing up?" he asked. Like I guessed, his voice took on the sweet tone, almost as if to pacify me. "Were you waiting for me all night? I'm sorry, baby." He waltzed over and took my cheek into his hand. The same hand that slapped Leah's ass while he fucked her in her kitchen.

I jerked my cheek out of his hand and looked away. I wanted to walk away, but I honestly didn't know how drunk I was. So I just settled for sitting.

I felt his eyes on me for a long time, until finally, he sighed again. "What's wrong, honey? Did something happen?" That time, I just _had_ to look at him. Was he serious? Apparently he was, because he looked awfully confused. Not even his auburn eyes gave a hint of guilt.

Anger washed over me, scrubbing away the numbness. However, I remained calm. "Sam, sweetie, where have you been? I was going to surprise you with this new outfit Kim bought me, but you didn't come home…"

Sam looked at me and then smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, hun. Billy had to talk to Jacob and me last night about the rules and then there was a job up near Port Angeles and─"

"Huh," I barely whispered, "that's funny. That's not what Leah said." Sam froze, and in that moment, I saw anger in his eyes.

"Son of a bitch." He muttered. "Look─"

"No, _you look_." I stood up and glared at him. Even though I still had to look up to stare into his eyes, I still felt somewhat empowered. Who's the bitch now? "I've waited here all night; only to hear Leah tell me about how you fucked her in her goddamned kitchen!"

"Emily─"

"Shut _up_, Sam!" I shouted over him. "Just shut up and listen, because I'm not gonna repeat this shit again! I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I know what I'm not. I'm _not_ going to be the other woman. I'm _not_ going to sit up all night waiting for you ever again. And I'm _not Mrs. Uley anymore!_"

Sam stared down at me in unadulterated shock. "Are you breaking up with me?"

I smiled darkly. "Yes I am, actually."

"But our Imprint─"

"You can shove our Imprint up your ass." I said, walking away from his mask of horror. I walked into the room, grabbed a suitcase, and started ripping his clothes out of my drawers. He stood in the doorway as I stuffed all of his crap into the large black suitcase.

"I can't live without you…" he murmured.

"Well, you weren't thinking that when you stood me up last night, now were you?"

"Emily." He said my name sternly. Usually when he gets that kind of voice with me, I get scared and listen. That's the voice he used to tell me he was dangerously close to phasing. But not today. Oh no, I was on a role.

"Take your shit and leave before I call the pound!" I said curtly.

"Emily!" he growled behind me. I turned briefly and looked at him. He was glaring at me, and he was shaking like an earthquake. What, so he wanted to _phase_ now? He can fuck me up all he wants, but that's not gonna tie me down to him. He was Imprinted on me, not the other way around.

"If you're gonna poof, then go outside," I snapped. "I don't need any more fur on my furniture─"

Suddenly, he was on top of me holding me down. His large russet hands were squeezing down on my neck, cutting off my oxygen. His eyes were bright and crazed with anger and pain. "You are not going to leave me!" he shouted. I tried to squirm out of his grasp, but he was like a sitting elephant.

A sudden fear struck me, a fear I haven't felt since the day Sam first attacked me. Am I gonna die? I tried to gasp for air, but I failed miserably.

"Tell me you love me!" he growled desperately into my ear. "Tell me, dammit!" I wanted so badly to tell him that it was impossible to speak when you're being choked, but I couldn't. My vision was fading in and out as I tried to punch him. It was like punching a wall; you'll break your knuckles, but the wall's not moving no matter what.

Suddenly, the phone rang. It was like the squeaking of a mouse compared to Sam's vicious growls, but I somehow managed to hear it. Sam looked at the phone and then back at me. Unwillingly, he loosened his grip around my neck and got up. I rolled over and gasped happily for air. I coughed and choked, wanting the oxygen around me so badly.

Sam picked up the phone, took a deep breath, and answered, "Hello?"

There was a faint pause as Sam listened to whoever it was. I tried to crawl to the door, but Sam's look made me freeze. It's amazing. Just minutes ago, I didn't care whether he hurt me or not. But now I was scared out of my mind. I didn't want to die tonight.

"Oh hey, Sue. You said Seth's condition's changing? Okay, I'll be on my way…" he listened again to whatever Sue was saying. "Oh… um… Emily's still sleep and I don't want to wake her up. She so beautiful when she sleeps, it almost hurts to leave."

I stared at him in shock. That lying son of a bitch. Should I yell to show Sue I'm awake? No, I can't. Sam's too smooth for that. He'll think of some excuse as to why I wasn't gonna show up today. Or why I had a bruise on my neck.

"Okay, I'll tell her you said hi!" Sam said cheerfully. "Bye." He hung up the phone and stared at it for a long time. I took that chance and tried to crawl as quietly to the door as possible. I was reaching the doorway when Sam's voice made me stop again.

"If you even think about leaving, I'll kill you." He informed me calmly. He sounded too calm; almost like a scary calm. "Don't think I won't, 'cuz I will."

A sob ripped through me as I cried fearfully on the floor. There was something about his words that rang truth. "I thought you loved me?" I whimpered out.

Sam looked at me with dark amusement in his eyes. "You didn't care about my love two minutes ago when you were throwing my stuff into a suitcase." He walked deliberately towards me with a sinister smile on his face. I tried to back up, but my back came into contact with the wall. Should I run? The doorway is right next to me…

I jumped up quickly and ran for the living room. The windows were open, so maybe someone will hear me scream. I made it to the armchair before I felt his too rough arms holding me down. He threw me to the ground, grabbed my foot, and dragged me back into the bedroom. I screamed as loud as I could, but to no avail. It was 6:30 in the morning on a Sunday. Everyone was either at church or sleeping.

He threw me roughly onto the bed and punched me in the stomach, cutting off all attempts at screaming. As I tried to pull myself together, he walked patiently to the door, shut it and locked it. "You aren't going to leave me, are you?" He asked again. His voice was not his own. He sounded like a totally different person, like an alternate personality.

I looked at him with begging eyes. "No, baby, I would _never_ leave you! Please don't hurt me… please…" He looked into my eyes, searching for something. I guess he found it, because he grinned widely and laughed.

"Oh thank God! I thought you were gonna try and leave me." He said happily. He sounded like himself again, which was weird. He crossed the room, bent down and kissed me lightly on my lips. "Sleep, love. I'll wake you up when I get back okay?"

I nodded, not able to find my voice. He walked over to the door and unlocked it. Before he left, he looked me down, and for a split second, the demon came back.

"You know I love you, right?" he murmured. When I nodded, he was sunny Sam again. "Good! I'll see you later!"

With that, he shut the door behind him and left. I wait for the sound of his car driving away before I started crying again.

_Oh my God…_


	14. The Only Exception

~**I do not own any of these characters (except for Daniel and Quincy)**

The Only Exception

**Leah's POV**

I don't know why Sue called Sam. Even after I told her what went down at my apartment, she still insisted that she call Sam. It wasn't enough that I was worried about Seth to the point of insanity, but now I had to live under Sam's side glances. And not just Sam's side glances, but Jacob's too. Yes, that's right, my mother called _both_ of them. Ugh.

Sue, Sam, Jacob, Quil, Embry, Jared, and Daniel were all sitting on the opposite side of the living room from Seth and me. Mom was doing it because she was trying to calm down, but everyone else was doing it out of awkwardness.

An hour ago, mom woke up to the sound of Seth screaming. When she came and checked, he was sweating and thrashing against the couch. Mom freaked out and called practically everyone on her cell phone, and now here we are.

Seth wasn't screaming by the time I got here, but he was still sweating and panting in short, painful breaths. By the time Sam got here, Seth was starting to groan and whimper against the pillow I put under his head. He's getting worse.

All was silent except for Seth's audible pain. Even Quil, whom would usually crack a joke to make everyone feel better, was quiet. I took Seth's sweaty cheeks into my palms and kissed his forehead. Then, I bent down and put my trembling lips close to his ears.

"Seth… Seth, baby, I'm here for you. You can fight this, Seth. Just think happy thoughts. Just remember that we're all waiting for you…" I couldn't choke out anymore other than that. I pressed my forehead to his and cried silently. _I miss you…_

"Leah…" Jacob murmured behind me. When I didn't answer, I heard him get up and cross the room. He bent down and kissed my shoulder. "Leah, it's going to be okay."

I looked up and stared at him through a layer of tears. "How? Jacob, all the legends, all the myths, _everything_ points to his death─"

"Not every myth comes true," he said softly. "One myth is true, though…"

"And what myth is that?" I asked, looking away with a sigh. He took my chin and forced me to look at him. His dark eyes were incredibly soft, and they were filled with pure emotion.

He smiled. "Billy used to always tell me the tale of Ephraim's son. Ephraim's son…I forgot his name so let's call him Seth for now," I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"So when Seth Black was baby, a terrible sickness overcame him. This sickness is still unknown to this day, but there was no cure for it. Anyone who got it died. Anyways, when Ephraim saw his son dying, he was remorseful. Everyone, the elders, his wife, _everyone_ said that Ephraim should've given up on Seth. But he didn't."

"There's an old myth that's been around since the very beginning of our kind. A myth that said that if a shape-shifter puts their heart and soul into that of a sick person, then that person will get better. But the _only_ way for it to work is if you believe, beyond a doubt, that the sick person _will_ get better. Ephraim believed beyond everybody else. You know what he did?"

When I shook my head, he grinned. "Ephraim sang to his son. And he didn't just sing some given tribal song. No, he sang his son's _favorite_ song, and he sang it all night long."

"What happened to his son?" I breathed.

"He woke up singing with Ephraim." Jacob laughed. Behind him, Sue was in tears while Quil and Embry were snickering.

"Wow, Jacob, that's incredibly cheesy, even for you." Jared chuckled.

"I know, that's what I said to Billy when he told me that story," Jacob laughed softly. "But it's true."

"How do you know?" Sam suddenly asked. It didn't come out as hostile, but that didn't stop me from glaring at him. Why ask stupid questions? Jacob saw my expression and smiled.

"Calm down, Leah, actually I'm glad he asked. You see, when Billy got into that car accident a while back, I was scared. All of the doctors said that he wasn't going to live. Don't you remember Sue?" he asked, looking at Sue.

Sue jumped at the sound of her name. "Oh, yes, you were quite devastated. We all were."

Jacob continued. "One night, I was lying in my dad's hospital bed. He looked so weak and tired, and it broke my heart. The only thing that crossed my mind was _'This is the second time someone I loved died in a car accident'_. Every chart in that damn hospital read he was going to die. But then, I remembered that story."

"I suddenly believed that he would make it. Why? Well, because he promised to take me to the place he and mom met. I believed so much, that I literally started singing "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi." He laughed. "He _loved_ that song. Whenever it came on the radio, he would dance up and start dancing like an idiot."

"I sang, and I sang, and I sang until I thought I might pass out. Finally, when I was so close to unconsciousness that I could practically taste it, I felt him touch my hair. When I looked up, I could tell he was trying to open his eyes. I forgot my exhaustion and sang louder, hoping for him to hear me. And then, he started singing with me:

"_Whoa oh, we're half way there,_

_Whoa oh, living on a prayer…"_

"We sang and sang, even though we were both extremely tired."

I sat there staring at Jacob in amazement. He's never told that story before. Such an amazing story should be published for all its greatness. His soft eyes told no lies, not one. I reluctantly ripped my gaze from his and looked at mom. She looked just as shocked, and she looked like she could start bawling in any second.

"So!" Daniel said suddenly. "What's Seth's favorite song?"

Oh, that's an easy one. "The Only Exception by Paramore." I said absolutely. He loves that song. Every time it comes on, he'd sing along as if he helped write the song.

"He listens to Paramore?" Embry laughed, making Jared punch him in the arm.

"I have Harry's guitar in the closet. I actually just tuned it yesterday." Sue offered.

"Why'd you tune dad's old guitar?" I asked curiously.

Sue looked away, looking almost guilty. "I tune it whenever I want to feel better.

"Good enough reason for me!" Jacob jumped up happily. "I know how to play the guitar, and I actually played that song in class, so I know all the chords."

"I know the song by heart thanks to Seth," I giggled.

"We'll be back up harmonies!" Quil, Jared, and Embry chorused together with glee. I looked at Sam and Daniel, who looked awfully out of place.

"Hey, why don't you guys round up the pack while we get a head start?" Jacob smiled. "I bet it'll work if we all come together."

"What about Edward?" Sue suddenly asked. That made everyone stop. No one's thought about the Cullens for a while, or at least I know I haven't.

"What about Edward?" Daniel asked; hostility thick in his voice.

"No, no Sue's right!" I suddenly realized. "Yeah, mom, that's perfect!" Everyone still looked at me in confusion, so I explained. "Edward and Seth are thisclose. They're practically brothers, and having Edward here might help."

"But wouldn't that mess up the werewolf mojo?" Embry asked. Unlike Daniel, he wasn't angry. In fact, he just looked confused and curious.

"Nope. Seth's already has venom in his system, which is bound to leave a mark. If anything, he's stuck in the middle!"

"That's a terrible idea." Sam spat. I couldn't help but flinch at his tone. He didn't have to blow a vein every time I thought of an idea. I was going to snap at him for being rude, but Jacob stopped me.

"Actually, it's a great idea." Jacob said absolutely. Sam glared at him.

"Jacob, please don't start with the Alpha crap─"

"Sam," Jacob snarled, "pull your head out of your ass for two seconds and listen to what everyone else has to say." There was a long pause before Embry sighed.

"So Jacob, why is this a great idea?" Embry asked patiently.

Jacob turned gratefully to Embry and smiled again. "Like Leah said, Edward and Seth are practically brothers. And imagine, Embry. Seth saw up close what happened to Edward. Don't you think he's gonna be worried? Hearing his voice along with ours is only going to help him want to wake up. And also, we need someone to read his thoughts so we know whether he's going to give up or not. This also gives us an excuse to ask for Carlisle. We _need_ Carlisle here, and not just for medical reasons. If he does wake up something new, then we need both a vampire and a werewolf by his side. It works perfectly!"

I couldn't help but smile at Jacob's confident grin. He always looks as if he won the war, even if the battle hasn't even started. That's what I love about him. Love…

"Okay, then that's that!" Quil wooted happily. Daniel sighed in defeat and smiled at Jacob. That's the first time I've ever seen Daniel smile at Jacob. Today might just be a good day.

Sam and Daniel left; Daniel was excited about making a chorus group out of a pack of dogs, and Sam just looked downright pissed. But I didn't care.

We all gathered around Seth closely and got settled with smiles on our faces. Sue handed Jacob dad's old guitar and sat down next to me. All went silent before Jacob started strumming the guitar expertly. It sounded so beautiful. I sat up, took a deep breath, and sang:

"…_When I was younger I saw_

_my daddy cry and curse at the wind._

_He broke his own heart and I watched_

_as he tried to reassemble it._

_And my momma swore that_

_she would never let herself forget._

_And that was the day that I promised_

_I'd never sing of love if it does not exist._

_But darling, you are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception_

_You are the only exception…" _


	15. The Scarf

~**I do not own these characters, I swear!**

The Scarf

**Jacob's POV**

We've been singing for hours on end. I was surprised my fingers weren't bleeding from all the strumming.

Everyone was here now; the pack, Kim, Emily, and even Claire. Billy called Carlisle to apologize for what happened, and Carlisle decided to let it go and come help us with whatever we needed. Although, when I asked my dad how Carlisle sounded, he said that he sounded tired and that Emmett was cussing in the background.

We were just finishing up the song for the 34th time, and I was close to tears. When Seth woke up, I had to remind myself to shove that Paramore CD up his ass. The only thing keeping me from throwing the guitar against the wall was the sight of Leah singing.

She looked like an angel when she sang, and her voice only complimented those features. Even when everyone else looked tired, even Sue was tired, Leah still kept singing without complaint. And whenever we finished the song, she would smile down at Seth with enough love to bring world peace. Then she would look at me with hope in her eyes, and then I would start strumming again. Looking into her eyes, I realized how much I wanted her to be happy.

I never felt that way with Bella. Honestly, I felt obsessive and incomplete when it came to Bella. But with Leah, I feel all the happiness in the world just to see her smile with hope. Enough happiness surged through me to keep me from complaining like I usually would.

As Leah sang her last note on the 35th song, the doorbell rang. I sniffed the air; and telling by the way my nose started to itch a little, I'm guessing that it must be Carlisle at the door. Emily, whom was the closest to the door, opened it and smiled.

"Oh, hello Carlisle! Hello Edward!" she sounded awfully excited. She made it seem like they were her guardian angels or something. Emily stepped aside and let Carlisle in with Edward trailing behind him.

My first impression of them was that they've been through war. Carlisle looked like hell, and Edward just looked out of it. Even when Carlisle smiled sheepishly, I could tell that he was tired. His pale left cheek was slightly swollen and so was his lip and he walked with a limp. Edward's lip was swollen too, but that's not what bothered me.

It was the vacant look in his eyes. It was the way his lip slightly trembled, almost as if he was afraid of something. I immediately felt guilt. Our pack talked so much shit about them, and now they were here trying to help us. I was going to have to apologize to them later.

Edward looked up, first at me, and then at Seth. And then, his features changed dramatically. It was like someone splashed water on him while he was sleeping. His eyes went huge with shock, and his mouth gaped open in silent alarm.

"Jesus Christ!" he yelped. He was about to rush over, but Carlisle stopped him.

"Be calm, Edward." Carlisle warned. Then, Carlisle turned to Billy, whom was sitting on the couch under Seth's feet. "My apologies, Billy. If I was awake for Emmett's little tantrum, I wouldn't have kicked you guys out.

Behind me I heard someone snort, but Billy ignored whoever it was and smiled at Carlisle. "Oh no, it's okay. I truly need to teach these kids about manners in someone else's house. How are you, anyways? No offense, but you look like hell…"

Carlisle chuckled. "I've been better," but then, he suddenly turned serious. He turned to the rest of us and appraised us with sad eyes. "I truly am sorry about everything that happened. In so many ways, I should've fought harder. I was weak, and your brother and my son paid the price. I let people's words get to me, and now Seth's hurt. I swear on my mother's grave that I will do anything and everything to help save Seth."

There was a short pause before I sighed. Why did he always have to sound so _human_ whenever I was supposed to hate him? "Carlisle, I think we all owe you an apology for being so outwardly rude." I turned to everyone else and nodded.

"We're sorry…" a couple people mumbled awkwardly.

"Like you mean it!" Billy snapped.

"We're sorry," most of them chorused. Sam and Paul were the only ones who didn't say anything. I was about to confront them, but Edward spoke first.

"Awkward apologies aside," he laughed, "what are you guys doing?" I couldn't help but laugh at his sudden optimism.

"We're singing Seth's favorite song in hopes that he'll wake up and sing with us. It's an old Quileute myth, and we're trying it out."

Edward smiled through his swollen lips. "What song, and how long have guys been singing? Some of you look like you're ready to shoot yourselves."

This time, Leah laughed. "Yeah, we've been singing for a _long_ time. In fact, I think we were just about to take a break─"

"Oh thank _God_!" Quil sighed happily, falling to the floor. And he wasn't the only one who was happy. Kim was already in the kitchen with Emily, and Billy looked like he just might actually walk in order to get to the kitchen. I thought Leah might be angry with everyone's resignation, but she just laughed and got up herself. I got up too and stretched; I swear China could have heard the way my bones cracked loudly.

While everyone procrastinated around the house, I helped myself to the kitchen while Carlisle and Edward checked Seth's vital signs. The kitchen was crowded, and for a good reason. Emily and Kim already had ingredients out and were chopping them up. Jared slicing pork, while Leah was grating lemons. Yum…

After grabbing a quick drink of water, I decided to help Emily with whatever she was doing. She was mixing together some sort of dough. She had me mix the bowl while she added ingredients expertly. I felt like a chef, and it was _fun_.

While Emily added a pinch of salt to the mix, I couldn't help but notice the blue scarf she was wearing. She was wearing it really tight and it looked uncomfortable.

"Hey Emily, what's with the scarf?" I asked while mixing. She froze for a split second, and in that second, I saw a flash of panic in her eyes. But she recovered and smiled at me.

"It's cold in here, actually. I think I'm coming down with something."

I would have accepted that answer, except that she looked a little to panic in that moment. And if she was sick, then why in the hell was she cooking?

"Why don't you go sit down, Emily, I can handle the mixing. I'll just ask Kim what I need to add to the bowl. We've already got one sick person; we don't another one to sing to." I offered. Emily looked slightly relieved, but something told me that it wasn't because I was relieving her of kitchen duties. As she left the kitchen, I noticed how stiff her shoulders got when she passed Sam.

It turns out that we were making homemade pork buns, which is something Seth always loved to eat. Maybe if he smelled the food…

Anyways, as we all stood around and waited for the pork buns to cook, I turned my attention back on Emily. She was in the bathroom, and she's been in there for a while. In fact, I think she's been in there ever since I kicked her out of the kitchen.

I squeezed through everyone else, walked into the thin hallway, and knocked on the bathroom door. "Hey, Emily are you okay?"

There was no answer, just a slight shuffling sound. I pretended to walk away, making sounds with my feet to make it more believable, and then listened again. There was a relieved sigh, followed by what sounded like crying. I listened closely… _She was crying!_

I opened the bathroom door quickly, and found her sitting on the bathroom floor with tears streaming down her face. The blue scarf she was wearing was on the floor next to her, revealing dark purplish bruises down her neck. The bruises were in the shape of hands.

**Emily's POV**

I looked up at Jacob through my tears. He looked down at me with an unreadable expression. I wanted to make up an excuse, but I knew it was useless. He was too observant; he would know that I was lying. I could tell he was staring at my neck, so there was no use in trying to cover it.

"Hi." I said awkwardly.  
He looked into my eyes for a brief moment, and then his face suddenly filled with understanding. "Did Sam do this to you?" All I could do was nod, too afraid to speak. We stared at each other for a long time, until finally, he asked, "Why'd he choke you?"

I flinched at how outward he was with is questions. "I was going to leave him."

That caught his attention. "Why were you going to leave him? I thought you guys were perfect for each other?"

I laughed without humor. "Apparently not, seeing that he cheated on me with Leah─"

"He slept with Leah?!" he choked out. He looked horrified. I wonder why…

"Yeah, he slept with her last night, but then she stopped him in the middle and told him to stay away from her. Leah called me and told me, which made me angry. But when I tried to leave him, he choked and hit me, and he told me to stay with him forever."

Jacob stood there so shocked that I thought he was gonna have a stroke. Maybe I shouldn't have told him, but I needed to tell _someone_. Sam wasn't the same anymore, he was some_thing_, but he wasn't Sam.

_**To Be Continued…**_


	16. Sunset

~**I do not own these characters**

Author's Note: This is not a lemon, so don't flip out

Sunset

**Jacob's POV**

Shortly after the scene between me and Emily the pork buns were ready. Everyone sat in the living room and ate happily. Everyone except for me. I was sitting between Sam and Leah, and Emily was sitting across from me. I felt like I was being suffocated by the world. Sam was talking to Paul, whom was next to him; and Leah was talking to Edward, which I found shocking. Ever since Seth got hurt, Leah's been acting strangely nice.

Emily, who was talking to Kim, kept glancing at me sideways; almost as if she expected me to do something. And I was.

When the time comes for Sam and me to fight, I'm gonna kick his ass. Before the whole bathroom incident, I wasn't considering anything other than keeping Sam in the pack if I won. Now I'm considering banishing him, or even killing him.

He choked his fiancée because he couldn't hold onto her, and he slept with Leah…

Okay, I will admit, Sam sleeping with Leah was my fault. I've been so consumed with how I felt that I didn't even make a move. But that's going to change, and it's going to change _now_. It's time to grow some balls.

While everyone finished up, I leant towards Leah and whispered in her ear, "Come walk with me." She turned to me with a million questions in her eyes, but all I did was smile. Next to me, I felt Sam stiffen, but I ignored him. I'll take care of him later.

Leah and I got up and put our plates in the kitchen. Then, trying as hard as we could not to trip over anyone, we reached the door.

"Hey, where are you two going?" Billy asked. Why did it have to be Billy who asked? Now everyone was staring at us with the same question in their eyes. Everyone except for Edward, Quil, and Emily; they were the ones with grins on their faces.

"We're going for a walk." I said nonchalantly. Quil and Edward snickered, while Sam turned away with a grunt; but just about everybody else accepted that answer and continued with their conversations. I sighed in relief, grabbed Leah's hand, and left.

It felt amazing to be able to breathe. Being stuffed in a room full of people isn't exactly a nice feeling. We walked down the street towards the beach, making small talk along the way. Leah looked a little awkward, and she kept looking down and blushing.

It wasn't until we got to the beach that I realized we've been holding hands the whole time. We walked down the beach, still hand in hand, while the sun set on the horizon. There wasn't a cloud in sight, and the air was surprisingly dry. Finally, we sat down on the near the water and watched the sunset. The sky was a circus of orange and red and everything in between. It was beautiful, and the way it reflected off of the ocean only magnified that beauty.

**Leah's POV**

The sunset was beautiful. Everything was. The reflection off the water, the sound of the crashing waves, and the sound of the fast drumming in the background….

Oh no, wait… That's my heartbeat.

I wonder if Jacob could hear my heart trying to make a grand escape. But where would it go. My best bet would be that it would jump out of my chest and straight into Jacob's arms, just like where I want to be. Is this feeling irrational? I feel like just last month, I hated his guts. But now I'm sitting here wanting him to hold me while we watched the perfect sunset. My face was on fire! And all because he was _still_ holding my hand.

I leaned against him and rested my head against his shoulder. He tensed for a second, and then relaxed. He leaned his head onto mine and squeezed my hand. I wonder how I sounded to him. To him, I probably sounded calm. But to me, my breathing was growing erratic and unstable. My heart was pounding so hard that it hurt. My face was burning so much that I thought I might break a sweat.

"Are you okay, Leah?" he chuckled. "You sound like you're about to have a heart attack. Do you want me to move?"

"No!" I said suddenly. When I felt his cheeks pull up, I knew he was smiling. My blazing face went to hell. "I mean, I'm fine…"

Not even Sam's ever made me feel this frantic. Or guilty.

I couldn't help but feel like crying. Not 24 hours ago, Sam was groping me in my kitchen; and now, I'm sitting her selfishly. Jacob deserves better than me.

"Leah… Are you crying?" he asked incredulously. I jerked up and felt my cheek. Oh my God, I _was_ crying. What the hell? I must be really guilty.

I looked at Jacob with wide eyes as more tears escaped my eyes. I wanted to tell him my sin so badly, but what would he say? Would he hate me? He obviously likes me, but would he stop liking me the moment I told him what a slut I was? Fuck my life…

He took my cheek into his palm and gazed into my eyes. His palm was incredibly warm, even for a werewolf. His eyes looked a little sad, and a little angry. Was he mad that I was crying? But his next words shattered my reverie.

"Is this because of Sam…?" The way he said his name told me that he knew about what happened. He knew _everything_. My lips started trembling as I tried to find some way to answer. I squeezed the grainy sand and felt the cool sand run through my fingers. The feel of sand always helped me think, but not today.

"I-I'm─" I stuttered frantically. What? I can't just say _sorry_! That's not going to take back that sinful night. "Jacob, I'm sorry! I turned him down. A little late though, but I stopped him! I realized what I was doing, and then I thought of dad and mom and Seth and _you_

My words were cut short as his lips brushed mine. They were soft against mine, almost soothing. I closed my eyes and opened my mouth, deepening the kiss. He moaned as we fell to the sand kissing each other passionately. I combed my fingers through his soft hair and pulled him closer. The sounds of the crashing waves were lost behind the sound of my beating heart.

**Jacob's POV**

There were no gaps between us as we kissed each other feverishly. I could both hear and feel her heart pound erratically against my mine. All those years of us arguing, all those moments of pure irritation were lost; almost like they were part of another life, another world. I took her face between my hands as I my teeth lightly grazed her lip. It was an accident, but I guess she liked it. She moaned as she curled her legs against my thighs.

**Leah's POV**

There was a fierce battle between us in our mouths, but sadly, he was winning. His tongue grazed my teeth, making me moan loudly. Jesus Christ, what was he, a professional? Our kiss broke so that we could gasp for air. As I tried to catch my breath he kissed the base of my throat and all around my neck. He worked his way up to my ear and nipped my eardrum with his lips. My back arched as I gasped in surprise, making him smile.

His warm lips breathed against my ear as he whispered, "Pigs are gonna have to grow wings before I ever let Sam touch you again."

"Well, ain't that a bitch?" someone suddenly said. Me and Jacob both looked up in surprise. I swear on my father's grave that I almost threw up my pork bun when I saw who it was.

Sam Uley.

He was staring down at us like we were two cockroaches he found in his bathroom. "Isn't there some sort of law against sex on a beach?"

Jacob sat up and growled under his breath. And then suddenly, Jacob smiled without humor. "Isn't there some sort of law against cheating on your fiancée and then choking the life out her when she tries to leave you?"

My breath caught as his words reached my brain. Wait, hold the phone! Sam _choked_ Emily?! Is that why she's been looking so weird lately?!

"Sam," I snarled, "you choked Emily? Tell me it isn't true!" Sam looked shocked himself, but not at the news. He looked at Jacob with unadulterated fury.

"Did she tell you that?" he fumed.

Jacob's smile disappeared. "No, I saw the bruises you gave her on her neck and the way she looked scared whenever she passed you. She had no choice but to tell me."

"Did she tell you that the slut you're kissing fucked me in her kitchen?" he smirked. This time, I'm the one who growled.

"You go to hell, Sam!" Who the hell does he think he is?

Suddenly, Jacob's weight was gone. Jacob was standing dangerously close to Sam with a dangerous smile on his face. "Yeah, she told me that. She also told me how pathetically weak you are. It's a shame that you can't even take rejection like a man."

Sam growled, and next thing I know, Sam was swinging at Jacob. The first punch landed in his face, but Jacob quickly recovered and dodged all the other ones. Jacob brought back his knee and rammed Sam in the stomach, earning a loud yelp from Sam. Sam was about to drop to the sand, but Jacob grabbed his hair before he fell and brought their faces close.

"If you _ever_ hit Emily again, I'm gonna tear off your fists and shove them up your ass. And if you _ever_ touch _my_ woman again, you're going to be wishing your daddy finished you off when he had the chance. I hope we're clear, because I don't like to repeat myself."

With that, Jacob dropped Sam into the sand and spat on him. He muttered under his breath as Quil, Jared, Carlisle, and Billy came down the beach. It was dark enough to make it safe for Carlisle to come out, so I guess he decided to be Billy's designated "roller".

Even though Billy was the farthest back, his voice was the loudest. "What the hell are you doing, Jacob?!" They reached us, only to stop a few feet away. Jared pushed past Quil and helped up Sam, whom was coughing up a storm.

"Can't you save the boxing match for when you guys duel it out _tomorrow_?" Jared sighed.

I stood up and decided to speak. "Why don't you ask _Sam_? Jacob and I were having a perfectly good time," even though I was angry, I still couldn't help but blush, "but then _he_ just had to come and ruin it. He started insulting me, and then when Jacob tried to defend me and Emily, Sam started swinging."

"Why were you trying to protect Emily?" Billy asked curiously.

"Because this motherfucker choked Emily when she tried to leave him!" Jacob blurted. Everyone other than me froze.

"Dude, that's not even a funny joke…" Jared murmured.

"Well thank God it's not a joke, then, huh? Go on and take off Emily's scarf, and you'll see the bruises─" Jacob was saying.

"Jacob, that's enough." Billy said firmly. Billy eyed Jacob with authority. "I appreciate your concern, but next time you hear something like that, then come to me. Either that, or send Emily to me."

Jacob stared at his father wildly. "She wouldn't have come to you, dad! It just so happened that I saw the bruises and she told me. Don't you understand? She was _scared_!"

Billy sighed tiredly and looked at everyone else. "Go back to your homes and rest. Jacob," he said, looking at Jacob, "prepare yourself for tomorrow. _I'll_ deal with Sam. Carlisle, do you think it's alright if you stay with Seth tonight? Sue hasn't been able to sleep very well…"

"Oh, of course!" Carlisle said. With that, we all left Billy and Sam alone on the beach. When I looked back to get one last glance before we turned the corner, I swear I saw Billy backhand Sam in the face.


	17. Battle Frontier

~**I do not own these characters**

Author's Note: It's the moment we've all been waiting for! This is the longest chapter ever, and it's guaranteed to have you on the edge of your seat!

Battle Frontier

**Jacob's POV**

Today was the day, and it's about time. I've been dying to kick Sam's ass for a while, and now no one can stop me.

We were gathered on the secluded beach by my house. Everyone was there except for Claire and Carlisle. Edward was there, and he was grinning like an idiot. Everyone was a couple feet away from Sam, Billy, Jared, and I. Why was Jared there? I have no idea. It was raining down hard, and there was thunder crackling above us. This was going to be one dramatic day.

Billy cleared his throat. "Okay, so here are the rules: You two will fight in the woods far away from the beaches. You two will fight in werewolf form and in werewolf form only. If anyone of you phases, that will be the signal of you surrendering. If one of you phases, the other one _cannot_ attack you."

He turned to Jared and nodded to him. Jared took a step forward and spoke. "I'm going to be the only other one in wolf form. Think of me as your referee. I will watch you too fight. Now," he sighed, "if one of you decides to kill the other, I cannot stop you. However, if one of you tries to kill the other in human form, I'll stop the fight."

Jared stepped back and nodded to Billy. Billy sighed and looked at the rest of the pack. "None of you will be able to hear Sam's or Jacob's thoughts." He turned back to us. "You won't be able to hear each other's thoughts either. Not even Jared can hear your thoughts. If the pack wishes to watch, they can only do through Jared's head. And one more thing… If one of you kills the other, than the surviving fighter must bring the body back so we can bury that body. If you don't come back with the loser, than that means that the loser is banished from La Push. If you decide to keep the loser, than Jared will bring him back. Is this understood?"

When Sam and I nodded, Billy looked at Jared with remorse. "There are no other rules. Jared, please escort these two to their fighting destination."

With that, Jared nodded us to follow him. As we walked towards the edge of the forest, there were streams of cheers behind us. Some were for Sam, and some were for me. I turned around to get one last good look at Billy, and I swear I saw tears in his eyes, except this time, they were tears of sadness. I mouthed 'I love you' as I disappeared into the trees.

**Billy's POV**

I wanted to yell and scream at myself. A couple days ago, this seemed like nothing. But looking at him leave, I realized that this could be the last time I see him. When Sam explained to me what happened, I realized that the epidemic was coming back.

When Ephraim was still alive, there was an epidemic of bi-polar disorder throughout the pack. It's not mental. Once every so many decades, the pack can start hearing their werewolf's voice, even in human form. Shape-shifters have issues then. When their alter-egos come out, it can be a good thing or a bad thing.

I should have seen this coming when so many people stared Imprinting at once. Werewolves and vampires all have alter-egos. Their alter-ego is the vampire or the werewolf in them. The vampires' alter ego shows in their thirst and special abilities. The werewolves' alter ego shows in their Imprintment, their mood swings, and their strength.

Sometimes, the alter ego starts to take over the mind with impure thoughts. Once that starts to happen… That person will lose their sanity. And if that person was Alpha, then that insanity will arouse all of the other alter egos in the pack.

**Jared's POV**

We patted through the forest, none of us in any hurry to get to our destination. It was silent in my head for now, so I had room to think. In all honesty, I was mad that _I_ had to be the one to watch this. I love Sam and all, and I think he's more prepared to be a leader, but I can tell how much Sam hates Jacob. Sam has hated Jacob even before he entered the pack. Why? Because Sam's jealous that he can be happy and have a nice family while Sam gets the abusive dad and the fucked up mom. This is Sam's chance to finally get rid of Jacob, which is something I don't want.

Jacob is a cool guy, he really is, and I have a lot of respect for him. He has the balls to challenge Sam when nobody else will. Jacob's not afraid of the impossible, which makes it possible.

But that's not what's really bothering me right now. It's… It's the fact that Sam is finally losing it. He choked Emily, and he did it on purpose. The first time he hurt her, it was because he was a puppy and he let his anger get the best of him. It's something we all go through.

But we all don't decide to _choke_ our lovers because they want to leave us. And the fact that Sam is still in love with Leah makes Jacob look like a road block to him. Sam might lash out on Jacob and actually kill him. Jacob talks a lot of shit, but he won't _kill_ Sam. He'll kick his ass to a bloody pulp, but he won't kill him. I wonder if Jacob will have to be forced to kill Sam when Sam tries to rip his throat.

We were pretty deep into the forest, and I didn't want to go too far. I stopped right next to a big willow tree. We were at a pretty big clearing, and there were no traces of any other scents other than ours. I turned around and looked at Sam and Jacob. It was amazing how close they were standing next to each other, but I could still see the tension rolling off their backs. I nodded to them, signaling for them to take their places.

They moved away from each other and stopped a few yards away from each other. I took a deep breath, and sighed. _This is it_. I can't drag this out any longer. With all my strength, I howled into the cloud skies, signaling for them to go.

**Jacob's POV**

As soon as Jared howled, Sam was charging after me. I charged and met him midway. As Sam tried to tackle me, I jumped to the side and tackled him from the side. Sam yelped loudly as I chew into the side of his body. He growled and rolled over, trying to shake me off. But I held firm. Finally, he kicked me and went for my throat as we fell to the muddy ground.

The pounding thunder drowned out my cry as he sunk his teeth into my throat. Ugh, fucking pussy. I snarled and snapped at his ear, making him let go of my neck. This time, I got a hold of his neck. I dragged his jerking body and threw him against a thick tree.

He hit the tree hard, but he fell on his feet already ready to pounce. We circled around, glaring at each other in the eyes. I didn't want to kill him, but I couldn't help think of Emily's scarred face as she cried on the bathroom.

With a vicious howl, I charged at him again; this time, with the intent to kill.

**Leah's POV**

We all moved into the edges of the trees so that we can watch in wolf form. Off in the distance, I could hear angry yelps against the sound of thunder. While everyone else phased, I stayed human. I was too afraid to watch them fight.

Beside me, Billy was shaking. At first, I thought it was because he was cold. He was wearing jacket, but it looked awfully thin. But as I looked into his eyes, I realized that he was afraid that he was going to lose his son. I put my hand on his shoulder, making him jump a little.

"I thought you were going to watch them fight?" he asked without looking at me.

I sighed. "I'm afraid of what I'll see. But I have faith in Jacob. Jacob won't lose, but I know he won't kill Sam either."

Billy looked at me, and I gasped as I saw tears of fear in his eyes. "I wouldn't be too sure, if I were you…"

**Emily's POV**

I settled with having Edward translate to me what was going on. All of the pack members were jumping like men watching a football game, which I found repulsing. Edward, on the other hand, looked worried.

"What's going on?" I asked anxiously.

Edward turned to me reluctantly. "Are you sure you wanna know?" By the way he sounded; it must mean that somebody's losing. I nodded, not too sure of myself. Something tells me that no matter what, I'm going to be upset.

He sighed and shivered. "Jacob's losing…"

**Jared's POV**

Watching these two fight was like a football match between two really good teams. You never know who's gonna win because the other team is always surprising you. Except in football, there weren't two giant fur balls covered in blood trying to kill each other.

At the beginning of the fight, Jacob was clearly winning. But something happened. Sam all of a sudden started becoming faster. It was almost as if he just snapped. Jacob was fighting like a pro, but Sam was fighting like a lunatic. And sometimes, insanity will win over sanity.

**Billy's POV**

If Sam wins this, he's gonna kill Jacob. And then, his insanity will make everyone else on the pack insane. And then, someone will do something to provoke the Cullens. And then, the Cullens will have no choice but to kill the pack. And I will do nothing to stop them because I can't.

**Jacob's POV**

Sam is fucking crazy.

Every time I pin him down into a good position, he would do something unexpected. I pinned him down now as he jerked and barked like a crazy dog. He bared his teeth and snapped at my muzzle. His sharp teeth got a hold of my snout, and bit down. He flipped me over and started thrashing at my face with his paws. I tried to ignore the pain, but now it was hard to open my muzzle without flinching in pain. I used my hind legs and pushed him off of me; I jumped back as quickly as I could so that I could at least get on my feet, but he was already there snapping at me. Jesus Christ.

I pawed his face out of mine and bit down on his neck. I threw him down again, but he kicked me as soon as he touched the ground. I flew into the tree behind me hard, and it just so happened that there was a pointy branch there. I rammed into that branch, and then suddenly, everything went black.

**Quil's POV**

Everyone froze, even Sam. Behind me, I heard Edward gasp loudly and Leah and Emily asking a stream of panicked questions. God, I hope Edward doesn't answer them.

Pangs of agony ripped through me as I watched through Jared's eyes. Beside me, Embry was whining anxiously. I couldn't help but look at him to see what he was doing. Embry was trying to push past Brady and Collin, who were holding him back. There were tears in Embry's panicked eyes.

"_No!_" he cried out mentally. _"No, that fucking cheater! NO!"_

I didn't have the strength to whine with him. Behind me Edward sighed and finally did what I hoped he wouldn't.

"Sam through Jacob into a branch, and the branch seared Jacob's body. He's not moving." I could hear Emily gasp loudly, and I could hear Leah falling to the ground crying. Leah wasn't the only one who was crying. Daniel was crying.

"_Dammit! Sam didn't have to kill him! All he had to do was make him surrender!"_ he whimpered. Behind me, Billy was sobbing. Billy hasn't cried since his wife Sara died.

"No…" he was sobbing. "No! My little boy… My son…"

**Jared's POV**

Why…? Why in the hell did Sam do that?!

I was tempted to go down and pull him off the branch, but I couldn't move. I was too horrified, and not just at the fact that Jacob was dangling from a tree. Sam was nibbling on his ear, and he was jumping up in joy. And he was _laughing_… He had a grin on his face; a grin of triumph. He didn't care that the boy dangling from the tree was practically his brother.

Sam looked at me and barked happily. He howled into the night and continued pouncing around. I was so tempted to go down there and kill Sam myself. Did he not have any integrity? Did he just not give a flying fuck?

Any Alpha like that isn't an Alpha of mine. Now I believe he choked Emily. Now I know for sure that he's a lunatic.

Jacob continued to dangle from the tree limp.

**Jacob's POV**

Everything was dark and silent. I couldn't hear the rain or the thunder. I couldn't see the muddy ground or the black skies. And I couldn't feel my heart beat.

"_Jacob,"_ I heard someone call. I looked up and I saw my mom. She was beautiful. Her large almond eyes had tears of joy in them. Her russet skin seemed to glow, almost as if she had some inner light.

"_Are you ready to go, sweetheart?"_ she asked kindly.

I reached out to her now outstretched hand. I was close to grabbing her hand, but suddenly, I picture of Leah filled my mind. And then, Billy smiling up at me. Next, Quil and Embry playing on the beach. They turned around and called out my name.

And then Reneesme came into my mind. She was smiling up at me with outstretched arms; she wanted me to pick her up. Leah skipped back into my mind, except this time Seth was holding her hand.

"_Do you wish to stay with the people you love?"_ mom asked gently. I looked back at her, unsure.

"_I'll always be next to you, my son. But you have unfinished business, and you have a woman waiting for you at home and a father who loves you."_ She smiled. _"And friends who need you. Believe it or not, you're important, and if you give up now, who'll restore La Push to its rightful glory? I believe in you, Jacob." _

I remembered what I was fighting for, and with that, I felt my heart stutter to a start. _It's not over yet_.


	18. The Fat Lady's Song

~**I do not own these characters!**

The Fat Lady's Song

**Jared's POV**

Sam continued to jump around, and Jacob still wouldn't move. I sighed and bit back the tears in my eyes. Poor Jacob… At least he went down with a fight. No one will ever forget─

Suddenly, the tree Jacob dangled on shuddered. At first, I thought it was the wind. But then, the large reddish brown wolf poked his head up and wiggled himself off the branch.

_He's alive!!!_ I jumped up in glee. In my thoughts, however, no one was there to see him get up.

_Kick his ass_, I said. _Kick his ass to a bloody pulp._

For a moment, Jacob lied on the ground limp, but then he stumbled onto his feet. I felt my glee fall short as I took in his condition. He was bleeding something terrible; there was a large gash that ran up his chest and there seemed to be a hole in his side. He could hardly stand; he was trembling like an earthquake, and he was stumbling around like a drunk person. He was panting really hard too; I could hear his wheezing from here. Sam was going to devour him. Why can't Jacob just give up?

Sam grinned widely and barked a short laugh.

Sam charged forward with the determination to finish this. I wanted to turn my head, but I wanted to see what would happen. Sam pounced and the air, and I prepared myself for the sight. But all the preparation was unnecessary.

Suddenly, Jacob was gone.

**Jacob's POV**

I know Sam wanted to finish me off so that he could be Alpha, but he's going to have to win that title fair and square. And this battle wasn't over until the fat lady sings.

I expected myself to feel pain beyond imagination, but I just felt numb. Have I lost that much blood? Whatever. Anyways, I could tell I looked like crap. Jared was looking at me with a worried expression and Sam was laughing as if he already won the fight. He charged at me with a smile on his face.

Suddenly, everything seemed slower than usual. It was like someone took a fast song and turned down the tempo into an R&B song. Sam was running at me at 0 mph. Even the rain around me seemed slow. I lifted my paw and knocked a slowed down raindrop out of my face. This was going to be fun.

I ran over to where Sam was placed. He was floating in midair, I swear. He didn't even see me; I took this opportunity and tackled him to the ground.

**Jared's POV**

It was like someone pressed the fast forward button on Jacob. One moment he was there, and next he was tackling Sam from the side. I couldn't even see his movements. Sam didn't even have time to yelp in surprise, for Jacob already had his throat in his mouth. In an almost invisible movement, Jacob took Sam by the throat and threw him against the ground. Sam tried to get up quickly, but Jacob was already on top of him and thrashing at his face with all his strength. Jacob took Sam by the throat again and threw him against a tree. Sam didn't get up as quickly, in fact, he got up rather slowly.

Jacob was pouncing back and forth on his feet, almost as if he was getting ready for a race. I couldn't help but gasp at what I was seeing. I couldn't even see Jacob's feet touch the ground. It was like he was walking on air.

Sam stumbled on his feet and looked at Jacob with wide eyes. I could tell his confidence went down the drain. Jacob howled into the dark afternoon skies; he sounded like that time he called us into the woods so that he could yell at Leah… He sounded like an Alpha. I moved closer and tried to get a better angle. I got a look at Jacob's eyes, and man, they looked weird. I don't know if it was the lighting or something, but they looked like they were glowing blue.

Suddenly, Jacob was next to Sam and paw punching him in the face. Before Sam could hit the ground, Jacob latched onto his tail and threw him against the tree again. Sam yelped loudly and fell to the ground with a thud. Jacob looked down at Sam's limp body for a brief moment. I was afraid that he was going to kill him, and every bone in my body told me that he should.

**Jacob's POV**

I looked down at his limp body and wondered whether I should rip his throat and end this. I seriously wanted to, simply because it would make things _so_ much easier. But what kind of person would I be? What would I say to Seth when he woke up and asked why Sam had a grave. What would I tell Sam's mom, whom sat at home waiting for her son to at least call. Every cell in my body longed for his death, but is that I bad thing?

"_Don't kill him_," a voice suddenly said. I jerked back in surprise and looked around and waited. Was I imagining things. I listened again for the ominous voice, but I heard nothing. I shrugged and bent down, ready to kill Sam.

"_Jacob, don't do it…" _ the voice said again.

"_Who's there?"_ I asked mentally. I thought Billy said my thoughts were my own.

"_Jacob, I am the werewolf in you. I am the fire that burns in your soul. My name is Ephraim. Ephraim Black_."

I stood there too shocked to move. Ephraim? _"What are you doing in my head? I thought you were dead?"_

Ephraim chuckled in my head. _"It's a shame Billy hasn't told you about what makes you who you are. After all, our species was born as Spirit Men. We have the power to come into contact with the Spirit World__"_

"_That doesn't explain why you're in my head…"_

I heard, no, I _felt_ Ephraim sigh. It was like my whole body quivered with tiredness. _"Patience, child. The Quileute are a tribe of Spirit Men. Of course, you know how the werewolf thing came to be. But you must understand. Each Spirit Man shares a body with another soul; whether it's the wolf, or an ancestor. You have inherited the soul that I once shared a body with, therefore, I came with the package. Here I am."_

I stood there, trying as best I could to soak it all in. _"Why shouldn't I kill Sam?"_

"_Because there is still a chance for that boy. His second spirit, or 'alter ego', has been tainted by hatred and pain, resulting in physical violence against his fiancée. I can imagine why you would want to kill him, but you can help him. You can reach out to him the way you wish he would reach out to you. You could be his father…"_

"_I am not anybody's father,"_ I muttered mentally. But then, I sighed. _"I guess I see your point. But do I get to call you whenever I want?"_

"_No,"_ Ephraim said somberly. _"You mustn't rely on the Spirits to guide you, or else you won't get what you need. Now go forth, child, and do what you were born to do_._"_ With that, I felt Ephraim's voice fade away. I still felt his presence somewhere in my soul, but he was where he always was before I noticed him.

I realized that my little conversation must have lasted only two seconds to the outside world, seeing that the rain was still acting mentally retarded. I bent down and nibbled and tugged at his ear. Sam opened his heavy eyes slightly and looked up at me in fear. I stared intensely into those fearful eyes for a second, and I couldn't help but be reminded of when I was afraid Billy was going to die. I sighed with irritation and licked his face.

_Phase, God dammit._ He looked at me in confusion first, and the realization hit him. With a sigh of defeat, he phased back into human form.

He lied in the muddy ground naked and covered in blood. His arms in legs look twisted in awkward positions, and his face was squeezed into a mask of pain. _I broke every damn bone in his body… Good._ I looked away from Sam and patted away towards Jared. The closer I got to Jared, the faster things seemed to go. Everything went back to its normal speed, while I started to feel unusually sluggish. My legs became heavier with every step. Pain racked my body as I started to become profusely dizzy. I collapsed a few feet away from Jared.

When I looked up, Jared was already in human form and looking down at me in anxiety. "You're gonna be okay, kid. It's over. Let me guess, you're not going to banish him, are you?" I shook my head with the last ounce of my strength and let unconsciousness claim me.

**Leah's POV**

Billy moved us all back into the house before any of us could see the rest of the fight. Charlie had called and said that the people in Forks were getting antsy at all the wolf noises, and that some of the officers were going into the woods to make sure no one was loitering around. The last thing everyone saw before everyone phased was Jacob dangling from a tree.

I sat by Seth crying over his shoulder. First Harry, then Seth, and now Jacob. Did everyone I love die?! No, Sue was still here. And Seth wasn't going to die, I have to keep telling myself that. But Jacob…

Everyone was sitting around Seth and I, but no one was singing. Sue was humming a little, but it was because she was willing herself not to cry again. Billy was sitting in his wheelchair and sniffling silently in the corner. Quil and Embry were right across from me, and they were crying hard. I've never seen them cry like this, let alone cry at all. They always made jokes out of things, but not this. They just saw their best friend dangling from a tree; no joke was appropriate.

Suddenly, Kim's phone rang "Let's have some fun, this beat is sick; I wanna take a ride on your disco stick…", making everybody jump ten feet in the air in shock. Kim's trembling hand got her phone out of her pocket and opened it.

"Hello?" she didn't even make an effort to hide the fact that she was crying. Suddenly, she sat up straight . "Jared!"

Everyone looked at her now. Jared's in human form, which means the battle ended. A sob ripped through me, making me bury my face further into Seth's shoulder. Billy cussed under his breath and wheeled himself into the kitchen.

"Oh…" Kim was saying. She sounded upset. "What do you need Carlisle for?" At that, Carlisle jerked up in surprise.

"Does Jared need me?" Carlisle barely whispered. Kim looked up at him and nodded.

"Babe, Carlisle's on his way… I'll drive him to your house, okay." A few seconds passed. "I love you too." She hung up her phone and grabbed her purse. "We'll be right back," she said to Sue. Kim and Carlisle left without another word, leaving the rest of us in sorrow.

An hour passed, and nobody has moved yet. I had stopped crying a while ago; now I just felt numb. All these years, I've been a bitch to Jacob. And then when I finally have the guts to tell him how I feel, he gets brutally murdered by my ex. Death by branch. To anyone else, that would be funny, but not to me.

A thought crossed my mind. I looked up at Edward and gasped. "Jesus Christ, what the hell are you gonna tell Nessie?"

Edward flinched at my question and bit his lip. "I've been trying to figure that out ever since we left…"

"Maybe you should hold out on her until the funeral…?" Brady offered. Everyone flinched at the word 'funeral'.

Suddenly, once again, the phone rang, scaring the hell out of all of us. This time, it was Edward's phone. Edward cussed under his breath and fished into his pockets for his phone, when he pulled it out, he looked at the Caller ID in confusion.

"Carlisle?" he asked when he answered it. He stood there for a moment, and then, his face filled with horror. "You're on some serious shit if you think we're ready to come over." So Carlisle wanted us to come over, huh? What a drag…

"What are you talking about…?" Edward stood there confused for a long time. It seemed as though he turned into a statue. Finally, he grinned widely. I cocked in eyebrow in confusion at his cheerful expression. This was hardly the time. But he turned to me with a silly grin on his face. He took the phone from his hand it stuck it out towards me.

"Someone wants to talk to you," he chuckled. He looked honestly like he was going to jump off the roof in excitement, so whatever it was must be harmless. I grabbed the phone and pulled it to my ear.

"…Hello?"

"Hey, Leah. I heard you were crying," a familiar voice laughed on the other line. His husky boyish voice rang through my heart as I realized why Edward was smiling. I almost went to tears.

"Jacob?! Jacob, you're alive!" I squealed, jumping up. Everyone gasped while Edward started jumping up and down in glee. Billy, who had just rolled into the room, started smiling.

Jacob laughed again on the other line. He sounded horrible; like he got ran over by a truck. But he was still laughing. "You know me, I like to keep everyone waiting…"

"Jacob… How?! We saw you get stabbed by that branch and…" I couldn't will myself to finish. Tears of joy were streaming down my face as I soaked in his delicious voice.

"Put him on speaker phone!" Billy said excitedly. I clicked the speaker phone and managed to choke out "You're on speaker phone."

"Hey, everyone! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you─" Jacob began.

"Well that ship has sailed!" Quil growled. But no matter how angry he sounded, he was still smiling with tears in his eyes. He sobbed as he said, "We thought you were dead…"

Jacob was silent for a second before he sighed; I heard him say ouch when he did. "I'm sorry… Please don't be sad. Dad… Are you there…?"

"Yes, son, I'm here," Billy said softly. "I'm here always."

"Good… I saw mom, dad. I was gonna take her hand and walk into the light, but I thought of you, and Leah, and Seth, and Quil, and Embry, and everybody else. And I realized how much I have to live for. I realized how much I loved the people in my life, and I realized how I'm never gonna let you down."

Billy choked up; too many tears were in his eyes to be able to speak, so I spoke instead. "But… Who won?"

Even though Jacob was on the other side of a phone, I felt him smile. "I won, but I didn't kill Sam, which I find surprising. And I didn't banish him either, so you're just gonna have to live with his crazy ass until I find help for him."

Everyone froze. It must have been a long pause, because Jacob asked anxiously, "Are you guys still there?"

Billy was the first one to snap out of it. "Oh… Yeah, we're still here… We're just a little shocked. We all thought you were dead, and when we last saw the battle, you were dangling from a tree…"

Jacob laughed loudly. "Oh my, that sucks. You didn't get to see my crazy comeback. I wiggled myself off the tree and kicked his ass. I don't know how, but I did. Must have been adrenaline or something. Near death experiences can do that to you."

Edward laughed; he was still jumping like an idiot. "We're gonna come and look at how much he kicked _your_ ass, so stay put, okay."

Jacob scoffed on the other end. "_Oh please_. I'll see you soon." He hung up, leaving us all smiling at each other. After a moment, Paul laughed and slugged Edward in the arm.

"Dude, chill out." But we all understood Edward's excitement. Jacob was alive, and he was going to be Alpha from here on out.


	19. The Boy Of Chicago, Illinois

~**I don't own these characters**

**A/N: I'm very sorry about the slow updates. School + Sleepless Nights **** Fast Updates! Please forgive me… But here it is! (And I'll bet you'll like it!)**

The Boy Of Chicago, Illinois

**Jacob's POV**

Man, did it feel good to know that I won! I honestly thought I was gonna lose when I couldn't feel my heart beating, but I pulled through. And not only that, but I kicked his ass in the process! But one thing kept on bugging me: What now?

I lied on Jared's couch and looked at Sam, whom was on the opposite couch sleeping. What was going to happen when he woke up? He tried to kill me, literally, and I let him live. What was I supposed to do? Relax? Everyone saw how Sam threw me against a tree in attempt to kill me, which is probably going to make everyone turn against him. But what was I supposed to do? Protect him? Why would I protect someone who tried to kill me, and then laughed about it? I should be choking him right about now.

But a small voice in the back of my head told me that I needed to be the bigger person… _Dammit_.

I looked down at myself and surveyed my injuries. I was covered in bandages, and there was a large red mark that ran across my chest. Jared said that the tree put a whole in my chest, and it barely missed my heart. But it did collapse my lung, which was why it was a little hard to breathe deep breaths. But other than that, I felt fine. As fit as a fiddle. Except for the extreme headache.

Carlisle walked into the living room from the kitchen with a stethoscope in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Most doctors would look worried by the fact that I just had a collapsed lung not even an hour ago. But after Carlisle stuck that tube in me and inflated it again, he just looked like he won the lottery. He had a big grin on his face and was laughing to himself.

"What's so funny?" I asked hoarsely. Okay, I may feel fine, but that doesn't mean I didn't sound fine. I sounded like shit, but he just ignored it.

"I just can't believe you're alive," he chuckled, putting down the glass of water. He took the stethoscope, put it on, and listened to my heartbeat, all while laughing to himself. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"You need to have more faith in me, Carlisle. It's insulting."

Carlisle looked up at me in glee. "I _do_ have faith in you, but when I look at your injuries, it makes me realize how lucky you are to be alive. You're more stubborn than Bella when it comes to near-death experiences."

I laughed to myself, wincing slightly when it hurt my chest. I was going to make a comment on how Bella was being guarded by a coven of vampires, when I heard a grunt followed by a painful moan from across the room. I looked to the side and saw Sam shuffle on the couch and open his eyes. _Here we go…_

"Where… Where am I…?" he asked drowsily. I had forgotten that Carlisle practically drowned us with sedatives. I was used to it, but I guess Sam wasn't.

Jared waltzed into the room then, also with a big smile on his face. He looked down at Sam and laughed loudly. "_Good_ morning, sunshine!" he beamed.

Sam looked up at him as if he grew and extra arm and laughed halfheartedly. "Good morning… I guess…" Sam looked to the side and froze when he saw me staring at him. Nobody moved, not even Carlisle. Multiple emotions were in Sam's eyes. Anger, confusion, guilt, maybe even regret. But one emotion ruled over all: exhaustion.

"Hello, everyone!" Kim smiled, interrupting the awkward silence. Jared jumped and looked away with a nervous smile on his face, while Carlisle hid his smile by pretending to work on me. Sam turned away with a sigh and stared at the couch. It was obvious he was trying to ignore me, but some part of me wanted to break his comfort zone.

Another part of me wanted to know if he was okay.

"Hey, Sam?" I asked quietly. Everyone froze again, except this time, Sam turned and looked at me.

"…Yes?"

"Are you okay…?" I asked gingerly. Everyone in the room probably thought I was talking about his wounds, but I wasn't. I was talking about his sanity.

There was a flash in his eyes before he looked away. His mouth pulled into an upset line as he thought in silence. Finally, he answered a halfhearted, "I've been better…"

He knew what I was talking about, I could tell. He squirmed uncomfortably under my stare as he tried, but failed, to focus on the couch. It was silent for what felt like forever. Probably because everyone knew what was to come. Leah and Emily would come and cheer for me and cry for me, while Sam sat there uncomfortably and tried to blend into the couch. Then Quil would start something, and Embry would back him up. Billy might throw Sam a glare or two. Overall, this was going to be one awkward day.

I was gonna look away and try to sleep again, but Sam turned quickly to me with an urgency and something else in his eyes. "Jacob, I'm sorry!" he blurted.

I stared at him and tried not to drop my mouth. I understood what that something was. Self-loathing. "Sam…" I didn't know what to say.

"W-What I did… What I did was inhumane! I never wanted to kill you! I was just so _jealous_─"

"Jealous of what?" I asked incredulously. "Last time I checked, I was at the bottom of the happy chain."

Sam tried to sit up, but he yelped loudly and collapsed on the sofa again. Carlisle rushed to him and surveyed his wounds, hoping he didn't rip anything. "Sam, please don't move." Carlisle whispered to him urgently. Sam nodded, only half-listening, and stared at me with pleading eyes.

"You have everything you could want, except for Bella of course. You have a loving father who can actually remember your birthday. You have two sisters who are successful and supportive. When your mom was alive, she loved you and gave you the _world_, and she didn't just sit back while you suffered abuse like no other! When you lost Bella…. The way you reacted seemed sort of selfish to me─"

This time, I was the one who almost jerked up. But I squeezed the couch and prevented myself from doing so, knowing that Carlisle would probably kill me. I glared at Sam and bit back the string of profanity that was growing in my throat. I felt myself slightly shaking, climbing closer to phasing in the middle of Jared's small living room. Who the hell does he think he is?

I took a deep breath and settled down. I noticed Jared holding Kim back and Carlisle's protective stance. Christ, did I look that dangerous when I was about to phase? Take a chill pill, sheesh.

"Sam," I said, trying as best I could not to yell, "you have no idea what you're talking about. I don't _have_ a perfect life. Nobody does. I'm not even close to having a perfect life." By this time, I realized that Quil, Embry, Leah, and Billy were stopped at the door and staring at me. Billy had a look of triumph on his face, while Quil, Embry, and Leah just looked purely happy. But I ignored them and continued.

"Sam, you probably think that I've been happy all my life until Bella came, right?" When he nodded, I sighed. "Of course you did, because I _let_ you think it. I let everybody think I was happy, because that's what I do. I don't like to display my unhappiness to the world, and neither should you."

"Sam, you have to realize that a father isn't someone who is biological," Carlisle cut in. Everyone looked at him in shock. He was the last person I thought I would ever hear talk in this conversation. Carlisle looked at everyone's shocked stares in confusion. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing," Billy muttered, looking away with a smile on his face. Carlisle rolled his eyes and continued.

"I would like to tell you a story," he said. But then he turned quickly to Edward, who had just entered the room. "If that's okay with you, Edward."

I was confused as to why he would ask Edward for permission, but Edward nodded solemnly. "Go ahead…"

Carlisle gave one last cautious look to Edward before turning to Sam. "This story is the story of a boy who lived in Chicago, Illinois. This was around 1908, _way_ before any of you were born. He was poor, borderline living in poverty, and he lived in a really bad neighborhood. He lived in a rundown shack with only his mother and father. He had an older brother once, but he died when this boy was 6."

"How'd he die?" I couldn't help but ask. By the way Carlisle mentioned his older brother, it must have been unpleasant.

Carlisle looked at me in pure sadness. I've never seen Carlisle so sad before. "The boy's older brother was beat to death by their father."

There was dead silence before Carlisle sighed. He continued, seeing no one about to speak. "The boy watched his father kill his big brother, and it scarred him for life. But what was worse was that neither him nor his mother could run away. His mother, Elizabeth, could only come home to blood painted walls and a shaky little boy while her husband drank beer and laughed like nothing ever happened."

Another dead silence, so Carlisle continued. "The boy's father, Anthony, was a drunk. He abused the little boy ruthlessly every night. And when he didn't beat the boy, he beat Elizabeth in front of the boy. The abuse was rumored to be so terrible that none of the neighbors dared to call the police. I think I heard once how the boy's neighbor walked in on Anthony beating Elizabeth and the boy with a hot skillet while laughing."

Carlisle shuddered, and he wasn't the only one. I couldn't help but notice how quiet Edward was…

"I always wondered how the boy found even an ounce of happiness," Carlisle said, interrupting my reverie. "But I believe he found it in the only source he could. His mother."

"How do you know this?" Sam asked quietly. "Did you know the boy? How did you know he was even somewhat happy?" I noticed with shock that there were tears in Sam's eyes. He wiped his eyes quickly before they could escape.

"I know this," Carlisle said, "because the boy was my patient."

"If he was your patient, then why didn't you _do_ anything?" Billy asked, frustration lingering in his voice. Billy has no tolerance for child abuse, in fact, it's his worst pet peeve.

Carlisle looked up at him, and I couldn't help but gasp. The sad look in his face before could not possibly compete with the look on his face now. I almost wanted to run and give him a hug. But what lingered on his face made me falter: guilt.

"I ask myself that 'till this very day. Back then, my excuse was that the only evidence was severe bruising and scars. But the boy wouldn't confess, and Anthony never put down his address whenever he signed Edward in. Nowadays, that practically spells child abuse. But back then, it was simply that the boy was clumsy and the father was scared that someone might show up at his door. It was common in that era. But looking back, I realize how that was total bullshit. I realized that I _could_ of helped him sooner─"

"Sooner?" I interrupted. "So you _did_ help eventually, right?"

Carlisle sighed sadly and turned to me. "Yes, I did. But it was a long time down the road. When his father died, that's when I reached out. That's when I realized that I could help him. But it was too late. The scars were already set in stone."

"Anyways, whenever the boy came in, which was a lot, he was always with one of his parents; never both. Whenever he was with Anthony, he looked so scared, it hurts to look back on it. But whenever he was with Elizabeth, he smiled like a goofball. He would run around the hospital or ask questions about being a doctor. And since that hospital had a grand piano in one of its rooms, he would always request that one. He would play his little heart out, and it would put every expert to shame. Elizabeth would cheer him on, and he would smile up at her and say 'I love you, mama!'. His emerald eyes would light up whenever his mom reached out to him. Why? Because she was the only one he had. His love for his mother brought out the music in him. It made him smile, which also threw me off about the abuse. I thought he just didn't like his father."

Carlisle chuckled to himself and smiled sadly. "He was always so happy with her…"

"Carlisle…?" I barely whispered.

"Yes?"

"Can I maybe guess the name of that little boy? If you say 'boy' one more time, I'm sure my head will explode…"

"Well─" Carlisle began, looking unsure.

"How about Bob!" Leah nearly exploded, making Quil fall to the floor laughing. "What? Who doesn't like the name 'Bob'?"

"Actually, I think I know who you're talking about…" I whispered, my voice getting shaky. Quil stopped laughing as he took in the seriousness of my voice. I felt my stomach churning and my head doing back-flips as I reconsidered saying it out loud. But it was obvious. Edward's silence. Carlisle's question before he started the story. And the _guilt!_

Bella once told me about a boy with emerald eyes who lived in Chicago, Illinois. She once told me how his mother's name was Elizabeth Masen, and that he never really spoke of his dad because they never got along…

"Please correct me if I'm wrong," I said quietly, "but is the boy's name Edward Anthony Masen?"

This dead silence pierced me deep as I took in everyone's expressions. They all looked confused and horrified at the look on Carlisle's face. Carlisle look sad, which was probably why he could only nod. Edward, who was sitting on the floor next to me, clenched his fists and looked away.

It finally clicked for Billy, who looked quickly at Edward with wide eyes. Quil followed his gaze and gasped loudly. "Jesus Christ… Edward?"

Edward flinched at the sound of his name and turned reluctantly to Quil with an expression of misery. "Yes, it's true. I'm Edward Anthony Masen, the abused boy in Chicago, Illinois."


	20. Human

~**A/N – As I've said a million times, I'm really sorry about the slow ass updates. I'm really trying to get some sleep, but it's a little difficult at the moment and I don't know why. Also, I really like it when you guys review. It makes me wanna update faster and, trust me, I do actually read and consider your reviews. So R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these lovely characters**

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Human

**Leah's POV**

All was silent. Even the wind outside seemed to go still with sadness. The shock that hit my hard a few minutes ago subsided, while sadness and guilt took its place. All these years, I saw Edward as just another bloodsucker who lived in denial. But looking into his grim butterscotch eyes, I realized that I was wrong.

While yes, he is a bloodsucker in denial, he's different. I've been so preoccupied with what he was and how he looked, that I didn't even _try_ to get to know him All these years with Sam tainted my mind, and I took out all of my anger on him and his family.

Carlisle, a man I once called a murderer, stared at Edward in genuine worry and regret. Jacob once told me how fond he was of Carlisle because he felt normal around him. At the time, I thought it was simply because he was trying to put up Cullens because of Bella and Reneesme. But now, I know how he feels. Carlisle's so… _human_.

Same thing with Edward. To think that I once thought of him as spoiled filled me with self-loathing. That man has been through _so much_… Thinking about his past made me wonder what happened to the rest of the Cullens. Do they all of a terrible secret? Do they even _know_ about Edward's dad? And what about Carlisle? He's four hundred years old, something must of happened to him.

I suddenly realized how easy my life seems compared to theirs. Edward's words echoed through my spinning head: _I don't want be a monster…_

It all makes sense now. The Cullens seem so close, and so protective of each other. They were all so human…

Edward was afraid when he was in the forest. Carlisle was afraid of himself. Emmett was angry because we made it seem like Edward _wanted_ Seth to get hurt…

_Fear… Hatred… Anger… Pain… Aren't these emotions that you feel every day?_

I'm not going all soft on vampires, but this opened my eyes. Harry once told me, _"A man who hunts with hatred is a dangerous man. However, a man who hunts with wisdom can rule the world,"_

I now know what he means. I now understand why this whole treaty crap with the Cullens should disappear. I understand why Bella wasn't afraid. It wasn't because she was an idiot.

It was because she saw them for who they were and not _what_ they were.

**Quil's POV**

There's only so much drama I can take in one week. I was definitely overdosing right now. The unadulterated shock that stripped me of my speaking ability slowly took over my ability breathe. I thought Sam had it bad, but Edward just put _us all_ to shame. Edward Anthony Masen. The little boy who was beat maliciously by his father, and then bitten by his doctor at seventeen.

Except, that's not the case, was it? Hearing what he had to go through… Wasn't Carlisle _saving_ him? I mean, of course Edward was _supposed_ to die. It's the natural course of life. You live, and then you die. If I would of thought about this yesterday, I would think that all Carlisle did was deny the natural laws of the universe like most leeches.

But… Carlisle gave him immortality and something else… Something only Carlisle could give…

_A father_.

Man, don't I feel like a douchebag. I've never hated myself more than I do now. All these years of judging them. They try so hard to be human. Yesterday, I would of found it annoying and semi-insulting.

But today, I find it depressing.

**Billy's POV**

All the legends of the red ones and the bloodsuckers, all the counted up murders, all the evidence that vampires are pure evil; all of that just went to hell.

I've never known how it felt to be completely numb. But now, I couldn't feel anything. _Literally_. The only thing that I felt was the numbing shock that racked my head as I tried to comprehend what I just heard.

No child, vampire, human, nor werewolf, _no_ child should ever go through what Edward went through. _No one_. You could take the worst motherfuckers and whoop them with a belt. But a _hot frying pan? With bacon?!_ That's not right.

I tore my burning gaze from Edward's and surveyed the room. Everyone looked so shocked. Beside me, I felt Leah quivering and shaking. I peered up at her and bit down on my bottom lip to prevent the gasp that was building in my throat. Leah's eyes were bathed in tears.

A suddenly remembered the day I walked in on Sam's father beating Sam with his bare fists. Both Sara and Leah were with me. Sam's father, Devin Uley, was angry about something, it was clear. But when he saw us standing in his doorway, both shocked and angry, all his anger evaporated. He tried to plead to us about how he was drinking and how Sam spilled milk without cleaning it up, but none of us bought it.

Sara, my beautiful wife, yelled and screamed at Devin, while Leah, who was only 12 at the time, ran over and cradled Sam. I banished Devin, telling him that if he ever stepped foot in La Push again, he'd lose that foot.

But no one was there to yell at Anthony… No one was there to cradle Edward… Everyone was too afraid.

No one was there to love him except for Elizabeth.

**Embry's POV**

Sam always used to tell me stories about his father's insanity. And whenever he did, I swore to myself that I would never let that man near Sam again. But then Devin showed up a year or two ago, begging for forgiveness. Promising a change. He swore he's been sober ever since Billy banished him, and he had proof. He wanted Sam to forgive him and give him another chance…

"Did he ever apologize…?" I whispered meekly. It sounded like such a stupid question, but I wanted to know.

Edward looked at me through sad eyes and shook his head. "He never did…"

I flinched against the doorframe and curled my arms around my body. "So that's it… You lived a life full of abuse and unhappiness. The end? No smiles? No knight in shining armor?" Carlisle flinched at the last part, but Edward, unbelievably, smiled.

"Now, now, Embry, you didn't hear the last part of the story. You're right, I did live a life full of abuse, and almost a life of unhappiness. But I found my knight in shining armor… _twice_."

Everyone looked at Edward in confusion, making Edward throw his head back and laugh. Even Carlisle looked at Edward in confusion for a moment. But after a brief second of thinking, Carlisle started laughing too.

"I don't get it," Jacob murmured, pulling his eyebrows together. "Who was it?"

Edward stopped laughing and smiled at Jacob. "My mom, silly."

"Who was the other person?" I wondered.

"Carlisle." Edward said simply.

Quil did a double take. "Wait, hold the phone! I thought Carlisle said that he didn't help you?"

Edward bit his lip to prevent himself from laughing again. "God, you guys are _so_ hardheaded! Carlisle said he didn't help me _at first_. Now, his help was way too late for words, considering that by the time he helped me, Anthony was dead. But he helped me."

"Honestly, Edward, I don't know what I did to make you so grateful," Carlisle chuckled. "I was your doctor."

"W-WAIT!" Quil wailed. "How were you his doctor for so long? I thought you couldn't stay in one place for more than 6 years?"

"Well," Carlisle's smile faltered, "I left for a certain amount of time. I left when Edward turned 10, and I went to New York. But I came back because I didn't feel right for leaving him, but it was when Edward was 16. Anthony was dead by the time I returned, and Elizabeth and Edward moved into the city of Chicago. So, technically, I wasn't in the same area and I was in a different hospital. So it was somewhat safe. I knew I was taking my chances, but I honestly didn't feel right with leaving him there."

"So how did you help him?" I asked.

This time, Edward answered. "Because he helped heal my scars. He was there whenever I felt weak and unsure of myself. You know, when he came, that was the time where my mom and I were suicidal. Even though she made me happy beyond a doubt, she just wouldn't forgive herself for letting Anthony hit me. She started cutting herself and curling up in the corner, which made me depressed. So we sort of suffered together, if you can call that bonding."

"However, when Carlisle came and saw us the way we were, he helped us get on our feet. He taught me things I never thought I would learn, like how to ride a bike. He helped my mom be happy, which made me feel even happier. In so many ways, he was the father I've been waiting for."

Carlisle stared at Edward in awed silence. Edward smiled warmly at Carlisle, which warmed up my heart. "Wow. So your mom helped you when you were little, and then Carlisle helped you when you were older. In the end, though, was Elizabeth happy when Carlisle bit you?"

I tried my best not to sound as bitter as the words sounded. I wasn't trying to bash Carlisle, but I _was_ curious as to what Elizabeth thought. Carlisle tore his eyes from Edward reluctantly and looked at me. His soft smile grew into a large grin that reached his eyes. "Actually," he said, "she's the one who asked me to bite him."

I couldn't stop the gasp that escaped my lips, and neither could anybody else. "S-she _asked_ you to bite him?!" Quil stammered. "Are you sure?"

Carlisle looked kindly at Quil, not at all hurt by the doubt in his voice. "When you have a child that you love dearly, you'll be surprised about what you're willing to do for that child. She knew I was a vampire from the beginning, I can imagine, but she never really asked about it until her final hours."

"Her final hours?" Quil pulled his eyebrows together. "Wait, so she died before Edward was changed?"

Carlisle's warm eyes became sad again as he nodded. "Edward and Elizabeth were infected with the Spanish Influenza. Edward would have died with Elizabeth, but she asked me to save him. She told me to love him the way he should have been loved, and those were her final words." Suddenly, he turned to Edward with curiosity in his eyes. "Am I doing a good job, because I sort of fucked up with the whole vampire attack in the woods…"

Edward laughed again and put his hand on Carlisle's shoulder. "Yeah, you're doing a great job. I got over the whole 'My dad let's everyone get the best of him' thing a while ago."

Carlisle scowled at Edward and looked away. "Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?"

"Both." Edward snickered. He turned to Sam, and suddenly became serious again. "The whole point of this story is to tell you that no matter how bad your life get's, there will always be someone who's willing to go the extra mile for you. I only had two people, Sam, but you have a whole pack here for you. So if I were you, I'd stop complaining."

Sam stared at Edward with an impressed gleam in his eyes. "Well, don't I feel like a drama queen."

Jacob, who's been so surprisingly quiet that I forgot he was there, laughed loudly. "It's about time we got some confessions out of you, Sam. I was beginning to wonder if you had balls or not."

Sam glowered at Jacob and growled under his breath.

Suddenly, Edward's phone went off again. "Jesus, I really need to put this shit on vibrate…"

He fished out his phone and flipped it open. "Hello?"

Everyone was just starting to start talking amongst themselves when Edward jumped up and shouted, "Are you serious?!"

Everyone stared at Edward in confusion, while Carlisle jumped up in worry. "What's wrong?"

Edward through a panicked look at Carlisle, and then at Leah. It looked like the wind was knocked out of him, he looked so horrified. "It's Seth… Emily called me and… and…"

"Spit it out!" Leah nearly exploded.

"…Seth woke up…"

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_**I am the queen of cliffhangers :) **_


	21. Seth

**~A/N: I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: You already know what I'm about to say, so there you go**

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Seth

**Seth's POV**

The pain that's been racking my body is slowly decreasing. I felt my dying heart pounding the last ounce of pure blood into my ears as I tried my best not to scream.

I'm not sure when I was bitten, and I'm not sure where I am, but I want this to stop. The pain wasn't so bad a while ago, when I heard voices singing my favorite song. One particular voice seemed to drown out all the others: _Leah…_

But then the music stopped, and the pain attacked harder than before. But now, as I floated in a space full of hot air, the pain seemed to escape into my fingertips. I heard voices, louder than before, and they sounded relieved.

"_I'm so happy he's alive…" _someone said. It sounded like Emily. _"I'm so happy Sam didn't kill him…"_

What? Who was Sam about to kill…? Was he gonna kill me?!

"_Well, well,"_ another woman said; sounded like mom… _"I thought you'd be cheering for Sam… Is it true? Did he really choke you?"_

There was a long pause before somebody sighed. _"Sue, I want to tell you that he didn't… but then I'd be lying through my teeth."_

"_Why didn't you fight back?"_

"_Because I was so _scared_…"_ Emily sounded like she was on the edge of tears. I lied there, confused and longing to wake up and console her. Why would Sam _choke_ Emily? What the hell happened while I was out? And who was he about to kill…?

"_Well,"_ Sue said cheerfully, _"at least Jacob won the fight. Now that he's Alpha, he'll put that son of a bitch in his place. I cannot believe he beat you because you tried to leave him!"_

"_Well, I did sound kinda cruel…" _Emily muttered.

"_With good reason!"_ Sue shouted. _"That motherfucker slept with Leah, and then tried to get with you right afterwards. He even tried to cock-block Leah when her and Jacob were on the beach. He's shameless. I wonder what Seth will do when he wakes up…?"_

"_We shouldn't tell him!" _Emily said suddenly. _"We must wait until he seems under control. If he finds out that Sam slept with Leah… Oh Sue, he's gonna kill him."_

Suddenly, all the pain stopped. The hot air I've been floating around in for decades imploded within itself and dropped me onto a soft surface. I felt myself groan as a wave of vertigo hit my head. Everything around me stopped, except for a numerous amount of a soft beating sound.

It took me a second to realize that the beating sound was somebody's heart. It took me another second to realize how much I enjoyed that sound.

And something smelled…. _good_. It smelled sweet and intoxicating, almost like fresh honey. The smell seemed to be beating with the rhythm of someone's loud heartbeat, leaving me wanting to taste it. My dry throat tightened and excess saliva filled my mouth.

I swallowed, wincing at the sand-paper feel of it, and tried to open my eyes to see what smelled so good.

My eyelids felt like there were weights that weighed a ton on them. But I was able to open them.

I stared up at a familiar ceiling and blinked a couple times. I could see little particles floating in the air, but they seemed too small to be visible. They looked like the bacteria I observed in Cellular-Biology class.

I shook my head an unfocused my eyes. I sat up, quicker than usual, and turned. Emily, Sue, and Brady were staring at me through wide eyes of shock. Their mouths were gaping open, and their hands were trembling.

"What?" I asked irritably; I hated it when people stared at me like this. I was gonna jump off the couch and punch Brady, but then I took notice in the sound of my voice. "What the…?" My voice sounded deeper, but a lot smoother than usual.

I stuck my hand out in front of me and gasped. My hand was still the same russet color, but it looked so smooth and soft that I had the instant impulse to touch it. I felt my face and smiled. My face was so soft! Yeah! I _love_ soft skin!

I laughed out loud at the sound of my gay thoughts. My laughter rang through the room, sounding weirdly like music. Still giggling with glee, I jumped up and looked down at myself. I was covered in bandages, but there were no blood stains. I was in my blue striped pj's and no shirt.

I ran to the hallway and looked at the long mirror that was on the closet door. All the happiness that was drowning me evaporated as I looked at the man in the mirror.

This man was handsome, and that was an understatement. His tall features were complimented by super-model muscle that glistened under the smooth skin of his chest and stomach. His arms were skinny, but also smooth and muscular.

His smooth angular face was flawless, except for his large red eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but gasped. His white teeth were all perfectly aligned except for the two fangs that protruded.

It took me a few seconds to realize that the man in the mirror was me. I gasped and stumbled backwards, hoping to find my old life there to catch me.

In the other room, the room filled with the delicious heartbeats, someone was frantically talking on the phone:

"Jesus, Edward, do I sound like I'm joking?! He's up! And he's… he's…"

I stumbled into the living room and fell against the wall by the couch. I felt myself tremble with fear as I suddenly remembered everything that happened. Edward talking to me in the woods… Being ambushed… Edward being touched inappropriately… And then, being bitten a million times as I tried to go save him.

Emily hung up the phone and stared back at me, but this time, in relief. "Jesus, Seth, I thought you were gonna die! Are you okay?"

I was gonna answer, but I suddenly noticed how she didn't move close to me, like any relieved woman would. Instead, she gripped Brady's arm, almost as if in fear. She was afraid of me… I wonder if Sam looked like me when he choked her… Sam…

"Did Sam hurt you?" I choked out. Emily flinched and curled into Brady. Sue, who was awfully quiet, rushed to her side and smiled at me.

"Does that matter? You're okay!" she beamed, but she didn't move any closer to me.

"Sam slept with Leah." I echoed, feeling anger engulf me. "How the hell am I supposed to be happy if I know that son of a bitch is choking woman and fucking my sister?"

"Seth─" Brady began.

"No!" I snapped wildly. "Where is he? Where's that fucker hiding?"

"Seth!" Sue snapped this time. "Enough! Jacob will take care of Sam. You just need to sit and calm down…"

An angry wave of heat rolled up my back, causing me to growl loudly. Emily and mom cowered behind Brady as he stepped towards me cautiously.

"Hey," he said in a trembling voice, "calm down. Just breathe, okay? Sam _will_ be dealt with. But he'll be dealt with a lot faster if you don't do anything stupid."

Emily stumbled against the wall, shaking violently, and bit her lip. She bit it too hard, because a drop of blood trickled down her chin. My world stopped, and a weird buzzing filled my pulsing ears. My dry throat tightened again as I felt the delicious honey smell smack me. Saliva filled my mouth again as I watched the blood trickled down her chin.

Brady followed my gaze and gasped through his teeth. "_Holy shit_, Emily! Stop biting your─"

It was too late. I was already across the room in one easy stride, and towering over Emily with my fangs bared. Brady whipped around and leaped for me, but it was all in slow motion. Emily didn't even have time to scream, or even to gasp.

I bent over and licked the blood off her chin. Her breath hitched as her heartbeat sped up beautifully. Brady, who was starting to reach me, grabbed my shoulder.

A pang of irritation hit me, making me knock Brady aside like a leaf. He flew into the wall hard and fell to the carpet harshly. He was unconscious before he even hit the ground.

I shrugged lightly and looked back at Emily's trembling figure. Somewhere deep in my head, I heard a voice screaming, _Don't do it!_

I bent down and pressed my lips to hers, allowing the taste of blood into my mouth. It tasted so _yummy_, I almost wanted to chew down on her lip. Instead, I just settled for savoring the flavor of her mouth against mine.

She froze for a second, clearly indecisive about whether she should struggle or give in. In the end, she just gave in and moved her lips against mine. I grazed my teeth lightly against her lip, drawing blood. I was afraid that I'd gone too far, but she moaned enthusiastically. I sucked on her bottom lip and trailed my tongue against it, making it swollen.

When all the blood was gone, I broke the kiss and looked at Emily. She was no longer shaking, but her eyes were still wide with shock… and lust. Huh. Maybe this whole half-vampire thing won't be such a bad thing after all. I felt my fangs recede back into my gums, leaving normal teeth in its place. I chewed down and sighed happily as I was able to not bite myself anymore.

Emily panted against the wall, beads of sweat covering her forehead and the cleavage of her v-neck t-shirt.

I turned to look at Sue, who was staring up at me from the floor in shock. However, curiosity replaced any traces of her fear. Brady was still unconscious on the floor under the large dent in the wall. I chuckled lightly.

"Whoops. Sorry, mom, I swear to God I'll fix that."

Sue just stared at me and nodded. A smile was playing along her lips as she sighed deeply. "You are truly a weird child. One moment, you're macho angry, and the next, you're seducing Sam's fiancée. I swear you're your father's child."

I laughed as I heard someone approaching the door. The front door swung open with Edward and Leah flying in at the same time. "Seth!" They said cheerfully. They were gonna run to me, but stopped dead as they assessed the situation.

Leah stared at me in awe as the rest of the pack filtered in and crowded the living room. Edward stared in horror at the sight of Brady against the floor. Everyone was here now, except for Jacob, Sam, and Carlisle.

Billy, rolled in with his wheelchair last and pushed through the shocked crowd of wolves. He stopped and looked me over with a smile on his face. "Well, it's about time you woke up."

I chuckled lightly and scratched my head. "I wouldn't be happy if I were you. I accidently slapped Brady into the wall. But I don't think he's hurt. I didn't hear any bones snapping and I don't smell any excess blood─"

"I do." Edward said, looking at Emily with one raised eyebrow. Emily turned away, red-faced.

Leah finally thawed out and rushed to me. She embraced me with tears in her eyes and wept on my shoulder. I held her closely, murmuring how everything was going to be alright. Sue thawed out too and joined Leah and I. After about 5 minutes, everyone was hugging me now. Everyone still looked cautious, except for Billy, Emily, and Edward. Edward just kept grinning at me like a complete idiot.

Finally, we all sat around the couch, leaving Brady lying on the couch. He is so gonna kick my ass when he wakes up.

"So," Collin was saying, "how does it feel?"

I shifted uncomfortably and laughed halfheartedly. "I feel weird. And I have to un-focus my eyes because every time I try to focus them, I see little things flying in the air. It's creepy."

Edward laughed out loud and sighed. "Now you know how I feel."

"Hey, I have a question…" Daniel murmured. He was as far away from me as the room could allow him, and with good reason. That guy get's on my last nerve, and if he says one thing to piss me off, I'm gonna kill him.

When I looked at him in confusion, he sighed an looked away. "Is there a reason as to why Brady was knocked out when he came? And why was Emily so flustered and sweaty? She looked like she just had sex…"

Everyone looked expectedly at me, clearly that same question on their minds. Everyone except for Edward, who was starting to grin again, and Emily, who was blushing and twirling her fingers.

"You have to promise not to judge…" I whispered, looking away in shame.

"We would never judge you!" Leah protested. "It's okay. We all make mistakes."

I sighed deeply and told them about what happened when I woke up. I told them about how I overheard what happened with Sam. I told them about looking in the mirror. I, reluctantly, told them about how Emily's blood turned me on and made me come on to her. I left nothing out, which left me breathless when I was done.

"Um…" was all Leah could say.

"Wow." Billy laughed awkwardly. "Well, that's new… Is that a vampire thing?"

Edward looked at Billy, slightly confused himself. "Well, blood does get a vampire sexually excited. However, it's rare to have a newborn vampire bite a human without going crazy. And it's definitely rare to have a human _enjoy_ being bitten. And I don't see any signs of venom, so maybe that means that Seth can bite whoever he wants without killing them."

"Or," Quil laughed, "that means Seth can get some action and a meal with whoever he wants."

"You lucky son of a bitch!" Paul wailed. "You get any woman you want, you get to suck their blood without killing them, _and_ you get to do it as much as you want! I _worship_ you!"

"I'm _tellin'_ Rachel!" Jared snickered, earning a punch from Paul.

"I cannot believe you let him molest you, Emily," Billy laughed out loud, "I thought you had more dignity than that."

Emily looked down at her twirling fingers and bit her lip again. God, I never realized how hot she looked when she did that.

Edward, who caught my thoughts, stared at me and laughed. "_Seth Clearwater_, you naughty little boy! I thought Emmett was bad when he was a newborn! You put him to shame!"

"What?" Leah asked, clearly confused.

"Nothing!" I growled, glaring at Edward. But it didn't faze him.

"Let's just say you're little brother's becoming a _man_. Bow chicka wow wow!" Edward through his head back and laughed loudly, making Embry look at me with a grin on his face.

"Whoa, Seth, what's on _your_ mind?" he snickered.

Collin bit on his lip to prevent himself from laughing. "You're a bad influence, Seth. Get your head out the gutter."

Before I could snap at any of them, Billy put up his hand. "Okay, enough. We all have our fair share of.. um… _naughty moments_, but let's not judge, okay?"

Emily moistened her lip and looked everywhere but my area. So, horniness is a common symptom of vampirism. This is going to be a long day.


	22. Electric Touch

~**A/N: I've stayed away from Blackwater for too long. So I will give you your fix! Enjoy :) **

**Disclaimer: Yadda, yadda, yadda, these characters aren't mine!**

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Electric Touch

**Jacob's POV**

I sat there on the sofa trying as hard as I could to stop laughing. It hurts when I laugh, but this was just too good. Leah just got down telling me about what happened with Seth… and Emily. I can just say that I didn't see that one coming.

Leah sat on the floor next to me and giggled. "You should have seen the look on his face! Edward wouldn't stop tormenting him, I swear!"

"Neither am I," I chuckled. "Your brother is so weird!"

"I know! He got that from Harry,"

I looked down at Leah and saw tears in her eyes. I didn't know what to say. I've never seen Leah cry so much in one week.

When she looked up and caught me looking, she quickly wiped the tears out of her eyes and laughed nervously. "Wow. I think I got something in my eye."

I bent down, with effort, and took the other side of her cheek into my palm, making her look at me. More tears were spilling over and flying across my palm, and a sob rose in her chest.

"Leah…"

"It's okay, Jacob," she whispered through her tears. "These are tears of joy. He's really okay. Even though he has immense strength and really weird red eyes, my little Seth is still there. And he's growing up!"

I patted the spot next to me and whispered, "Come sit next to me."

She didn't protest. She lifted herself off the floor and sat next to me. I grabbed her thigh and back and lifted her onto my lap, which surprisingly didn't hurt. She curled into my chest and sobbed softly as I leaned my head against hers. Suddenly, I found myself crying too as I realized that everything was going to be okay.

We stayed like this for an hour or so, just holding each other and whimpering softly. Carlisle walked in a couple of times to check Sam and my conditions. Those were the only times I remembered that Sam was right across the room asleep.

Finally, twilight came and darkened the sky into beautiful colors of oranges and reds. Across the room, Sam shuffled in his sleep, but then started to snore softly again. Under me, Leah giggled.

"That boy can sleep an awfully long time. You'd think that he went into a coma."

"I wouldn't be surprised," I said, laughing at the thought. Leah took her head from under mine and peered up at me. There was sadness in her eyes.

"Jacob… were you going to kill Sam?"

I stared down at her, not sure how to answer. Do I tell her the truth? Or do I lie through my teeth? Why does life give you such unfair choices?

I settled for the truth. "Honestly, I was. But then I heard a voice in my head that told me to stop…"

She cocked her head to the side in confusion. "Your conscience?"

I chuckled nervously and looked away. "No, more like the "spirit within" or something like that. Like a second soul that I could speak to. I think he said his name was Ephraim─"

"Ephraim?!" she shouted in surprise, but then winced when she realized how loud she was. She looked at Sam briefly, but when he didn't stir, she looked back at me with an impish smile on her face. "Whoops… Didn't mean to be so loud."

I snickered under my breath. "When _aren't_ you loud?"

She punched me in the shoulder, which made me yelp a little. She apologized halfheartedly with an evil smile on her face. "I'm not _that_ loud, am I?

I rubbed my shoulder and bit my lip. "Do you really want me to answer that?"

She rolled her eyes and curled back into my chest. "So Ephraim, huh? You mean your ancestor Ephraim?" When I nodded, she laughed quietly. "That's so cool. Ephraim Black, ancestor in disguise, warns Jacob not to kill Sam. Dun, dun, dun."

"Oh, shut up Leah," I scowled. "It's not that dramatic─"

"Yes it is! Your ancestor came to you from the grave and told you not to kill Sam. I mean, that's as dramatic as it gets. That means that Ephraim is watching over you and protecting all of us. Not only that, but that means that you have his strength hidden within you. Jacob Black, if you say that's not a big deal, then I'm gonna slap the shit out of you."

"Are you happy that I didn't kill Sam?" I murmured into her hair. When she didn't answer immediately, I couldn't help but sigh. "Are you still in love with him?"

She shuffled uncomfortably and clenched her fists. "No, I'm not."

I felt a pang of anger hit me. I forgot she slept with Sam before the fight. And then, the day after, she kissed me. I know it's kind of immature to feel angry, but it doesn't change the fact that she slept with him.

Sensing my discontent, she peered up at me with pleading eyes. "I'm serious, Jacob. I'm done with him."

"Prove it." I muttered. "Prove it, and then I'll believe you."

She winced at my tone and looked away with a scowl on her face. "I don't see you proving that you're over Bella…"

I clenched my jaw and sighed deeply. I took her face into my palm again and made her look at me. "Leah Clearwater, I was hoping that I proved that to you at the beach."

"Oh yeah?" she said skeptically.

"Yes. Leah… Okay, what I'm about to say is going to sound cheesier than a bucket of nachos."

She smirked at my metaphor for cheesy and giggled. "Wow, that's really cheesy, Jacob. I'm not sure if I'm prepared for that."

"Oh please," I snorted, "I'm sure you've heard worse… Are you ready?"

"Okay…" she said nervously.

I sighed and stared into her brown eyes. They seemed to glow against the faint shimmer of light that peered through the curtain of the window. Suddenly, I just knew what I had to say.

"Leah, when I kissed Bella… I felt a shock of electricity. But when I kissed you… I didn't feel a shock… I felt _lightning_. This lightning seemed to jolt me awake out of my miserable sleep, and I realized what I want and what I _need_… I need you, Leah. And I… I'm falling madly in love with you. Not that silly childish love that overtook me not that long ago. No, this is a _man's_ love."

Leah stared into my eyes in shock. "Jacob… I don't know what to say…"

I smiled slightly and brushed her cheek. "Tell me you feel the same way."

A new set of tears filmed her eyes as she smiled. Her cheeks seemed to burn under my touch as I felt her pulse race. Her pulse matched mine.

"Oh Jacob," she cried, "I feel the same way. When I slept with Sam… It didn't feel like I thought it would. It felt like child's play. But when I kissed you, and when you hold me like this, I realize how much time I wasted crying over him. I spent so _long_ trying to find Mr. Right that I didn't realize that Mr. Right For Me was standing right in front of me…"

Electricity seemed to surge between us as I closed the space. I bent down, cupped both of her cheeks, and pressed my lips to hers.

The lightning I spoke of passed through my veins and into this fiery kiss. Her soft lips moved against mine as the heartbeats in our chests pounded against each other. Her hands combed through my hair and pressed me even closer to her. Our mouths opened and our tongues explored each other as our moans of passion filled the room.

I broke the kiss suddenly, and I almost laughed at the look of protest in her eyes. She was pouting. But before she could say anything, I laid her down onto the couch and laid on top of her. I kissed her jaw line several times and worked myself up to her lips again.

We tangled ourselves into an inseparable knot as the flaming kiss started again. My hand slid under her and slowly traced lines down her back. Her back arched against me as she gasped at my electric touch. My hand worked itself down her back, torturing her along the way, and finally cupped her ass. She giggled against my mouth, making me smile against hers. She wrapped her legs around my waist and locked her feet together. So, she didn't want me to go anywhere, hm? No problem.

I moved my hips against hers, grinding her into the couch. She sighed happily, only to have her breath hitch as I started going faster. She grinded against me eagerly, making me groan. I broke the kiss again and kissed her jaw. She moaned softly against my hair and slid her hands down my back. I was so happy that I didn't have a shirt on. Her hands felt good against my back.

I considered taking hers off, but then I remembered that Sam was right across the room, plus Carlisle was in the other room. Speaking of which, I wonder if Carlisle could hear us. Huh. I'm sure he doesn't mind. He lives in a house full of sex-crazed vampires, so I'm sure he knows the drill.

"I hope you guys aren't thinking about having sex while I'm here, because that's very rude," someone said suddenly. Leah and I froze and turned slowly. Sam was scowling at us fiercely.

Leah turned and faced the couch, her face turning red. I, on the other hand, glared at Sam and sat up. "You know what else is rude? Interrupting a good time."

Sam laughed darkly and sat up. "It's a little hard to sleep when you two are moaning so loudly. Get a room, for crying out loud."

"Get a life." Leah muttered under her breath.

At that moment, Carlisle waltzed into the room with a smile on his face. "Aloha, amigos!"

Leah sat up and giggled at Carlisle. "Um, you know those are two different languages, right? Hawaiian and Spanish?"

Carlisle laughed and tussled his blonde hair. "Well _excuse me_." He turned to me, and his grin got wider. "How are you feeling?"

I snorted, knowing that he knew _exactly_ how I was feeling right now. "I'm doing great, actually. How are you?"

"I'm okay. My ears are buzzing a little. I swear I heard the _weirdest_ noises, but I'm sure it was all just my imagination, right?" he smiled. "Nothing I need to tell Jared about?"

"Nope," I snickered. "It was all just your imagination."

Across the room, Sam sighed impatiently and turned to Leah. "Are we done with the hidden messages? How's Seth?"

Leah scowled at Sam, but told him about what happened. Unlike me, Sam didn't find it funny at all. In fact, he looked pissed. When Leah finished telling him about Edward's form of pure entertainment, he turned and glared at the wall. Carlisle walked across the room and turned on the lamp, which gave me a clear view of Sam's flustered angry cheeks.

I couldn't help but smirk. "What's wrong with you?"

Sam whipped his head and glared at me. "What's wrong with me? _What's wrong with me?!_ That's the stupidest question I've ever heard! That son of a bitch kissed and _bit_ my fiancée!"

Leah cleared her throat. "Um, _excuse me_? She is _not_ your fiancée. Not anymore. You can growl and roar all you want, but if you touch her again, _I'm_ gonna kick your ass."

Sam glared daggers at Leah and gripped the couch too hard, causing the soft material to rip. "Bitch, I'd like to see you try."

Before any of us could say anything, Carlisle put up his hand and shouted, "Enough!"

I winced at the force of his tone and looked away. When you make Carlisle yell, that means he's pissed. I gazed up at him and saw the different displays of anger fill his pale handsome face. He was glaring angrily at Sam.

"So help me, if I ever hear you call a woman a bitch again, I'm gonna kick your ass! Treaty or no treaty!" Then, he looked at Leah, his face slightly relaxing. "And Leah, leave the relationship decisions to Emily, okay?"

Leah nodded reluctantly and blushed. "Sorry."

Carlisle put his hand down and pinched the top of his nose. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. I shouldn't be yelling, either. But I've got a major problem with men talking down to women. It makes me angry."

Leah scoffed and looked away. "You didn't seem so angry when Edward bitch-slapped me."

Carlisle looked at her in surprise. Then, something seemed to click for him in his head, because realization spread across his face as he scratched his head. "Oh, no. Actually, I did have a talk with Edward when you left. Of course, I probably didn't sound serious because I was so hurt…"

Leah looked up at Carlisle again, but with guilt. "I'm sorry about what I said to you. I didn't mean it, really. I was just so _angry_. I don't know why, honestly. I guess seeing other people's happiness made me snap."

Carlisle laughed and looked at Leah with kind eyes. "You don't have to apologize, Leah. Believe it or not, there was truth in your words. In all honesty, I needed to hear someone say that so that I could get my head out of the clouds."

"But didn't her words make you want to give up when you got the crap beat out of you?" Sam murmured.

Carlisle looked at Sam, and I swear I saw violence flicker in his eyes. But it disappeared as quickly as it came, and a skeptical look filled its place. "I guess so. But I guess I needed that too."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

He sighed and looked at me with wistful eyes. "I realized that I need to become stronger, both physically and mentally. I spend so much time telling my family to "act human", but I need to understand that acting human is not what my family goal should be. I need to realize that I am what I am, but I can still be different."

"That's right," Leah chuckled, "you're a vampire, but you can still be "the kickass vampires with the yellow eyes"."

Carlisle laughed out loud and held his stomach. "I guess so. Being "kickass" will be my ultimate goal from now on."

He looked at me, and suddenly became serious again. "I talked to Emmett while you were unconscious. He really wants to apologize for how childish he acted. In fact, my whole family does. Believe it or not, they were angrier at me than they were at any of you."

"It happens." I laughed quietly.

"My family is going to try everything they can to help Seth and to make everything easier for your pack," he said. "And I mean it. This also means that you can see Reneesme again. Honestly, Jacob, she's _pissed_. She's been dying to see you, and with every minute that she doesn't, she gets an attitude. I swear she has her mother's genes."

I laughed out loud, throwing my head back. I was beginning to forget about Reneesme. Huh, that's weird. "That sounds like Reneesme. She's _so_ spoiled! You guys should invest in discipline."

"Seriously." Leah agreed.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind. I looked at Sam, whom was quietly fuming, and cocked my head to the side. "Hey Sam?"

"Hm?" he said without looking at me.

"Is it possible to love someone else when you've Imprinted?"

Everyone looked at me in surprise and discomfort. No one's really thought about my Imprint in a while, including me. In fact, I stopped thinking about it as soon as I started realizing my feelings for Leah…

Leah's eyes widened with fear. "Jacob… you haven't been missing her, have you? I mean, did you _really_ forget about her?"

I looked at Leah, and a new wave of fear hit me. Usually, when I'm away from Reneesme for too long, I start getting uncomfortable. I would start feeling all itchy and I would start getting nervous. But I feel as fit as a fiddle…

"Is it possible to break an Imprint…?" Carlisle asked, horrified.

"Oh shit."


	23. Apologize

~**A/N: I realized that Seth and Emily are second cousins (OMG) and I had no idea when I was writing their little whoop-de-whoop scene. I'm so embarrassed! Christ, I feel gross! But I will try my best to work off of it!**

**Disclaimer: I can't catch 'em all because none of these characters are mine **

Apologize

**Seth's POV**

I sat on the couch and stared up at my hand. I was something else, something different, but I was still the same, right? I was still Seth Clearwater, the shape shifter/ werewolf, right?

Quil, whom was sitting next to me, laughed and patted my shoulder. "Dude, it's gonna be okay. You're still you… Although, can I ask you a question?"

"Hm?"

"... Isn't Emily your cousin or something? I mean, I never thought incest was your sort of thing─"

"Shut the hell up." I snapped. "I forgot, okay. When you're thirsty, you don't exactly remember that sort of thing. Speaking of which, when am I allowed to go hunting? I'm still thirsty."

Quil cocked his head and scratched it. "I dunno. I'm curious… Do I smell bad to you?"

I leaned closer to Quil and sniffed the air around him. "Not really. You smell… kinda good, actually…"

Quil flinched away and scowled at me. "God, I hope you're not thinking about biting me."

I looked away, irritated, and sighed. "No, Quil, I'm not gonna eat you. I really do wish you'd stop acting like I'm Hannibal or something. I don't eat people─"

"Bullshit," Quil coughed, "you ate your cousin. Well, that's not true. You more or less molested her against the wall."

"Thanks, Quil, I feel _so_ much better." I said, getting up.

"Whoa, man, I was kidding!" he said, jumping up and grabbing my hand. "Just trying to make a joke, that's all."

I looked back at him and glared. "Well, it's not funny."

Quil looked at me with pity and regret. "Hey, I'm sorry. I know that we all made fun of you and your random fit of… um… _thirst_, but we all still love you."

I sighed and looked away, my anger melting away. "I know… It's just… It's just that I'm afraid of losing myself, ya know?"

"Don't worry," Quil smiled, "you'll never lose yourself, not while I'm around,"

"Are you guys done with the confessions of love? Because Jacob really wants to see you," Edward said, walking into the room with his phone in his hand. He looked a little weirded out.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Quil said with a worried expression. "You look spooked…"

Edward looked at us with alarmed eyes and shook his head absentmindedly. "Not really… Have you guys seen Billy? I need to ask him something…"

"Sue took him home," I said, "Why?"

Edward looked away, his mouth in a hard line, and shook his head again. "It's nothing, really… Do you think it'll be okay if my family comes down? There's something important that needs to be done…"

"Oh," Quil murmured. "I'm sure it's okay… Billy's bound to say yes… Seriously, though, what's going on?"

Edward looked at us, clearly not sure of himself. After a moment, he sighed. "Jacob thinks his Imprint with Reneesme's gone─"

"What?!" Quil yelped. "Is he sure?"

"Well," Edward said, "that's why I want to bring Reneesme down to see if it's true. Plus, if my family comes down, Seth can finally go hunting."

"Oh, thank _God_!" I sighed happily.

**Reneesme's POV**

I swear to God, I'm about to explode! I wanna see Jacob! And I wanna see if Seth is okay!

That little stunt Uncle Emmett did was so childish; it made me look like a fifty year old. Seth could be dead, for crying out loud! And Jacob… I miss him so much! He's like my own personal sun. One I can play with and laugh with and be happy with… Oh, the list goes on and on, just like that little energy bunny I see on the commercials! Oh, I love that bunny…

Anyways, sitting in my room all day just isn't working out! I thought that if I boycott myself from the family, then they'd bring Jacob back. But he's still in La Push! And mommy refuses to tell me what's going on. Why? Because I'm "being childish"!

I heard mommy talking on the phone with daddy this morning. Something about me and Jake. Something important… Maybe I'll finally get to see Jake! Oh, I can't wait!

I always felt just right in Jake's arms. Almost as if I was _made_ to be held by him. Uncle Jazz said it's because of his Imprint, but I bet that Jacob still cares about me, Imprint or no Imprint.

And when I grow up, I'm gonna get _married_ to Jake!

Mommy said I should wait for puberty to hit before I start thinking about marriage, but what's there to think about? I love Jacob. I can't live without him. He's already carved himself into my heart. He obviously cares about me. I can't think of anything in the world that would stop us from being together... Except for maybe daddy. Teehee…

**Bella's POV**

I knocked on Reneesme's room door and waited. I heard her jump off the bed and shuffle to the door. The door cracked open and showed her beautiful angelic face pulled into a scowl.

"Reneesme," I said, irritated, "put on your shoes and meet me downstairs. We're going to Jacob's house─"

"Yippee!" she squealed happily. She ran to the closet and ripped it open. I didn't stay to watch her attempt to put on shoes. Instead, I walked downstairs, taking deep breaths along the way.

_This is just wonderful. Reneesme has no idea about what's going to happen._

Why in God's name did this have to happen _now_? I just want everything to be okay again.

When Edward told me that Seth was okay, I felt relieved. When he told me that Jacob won the fight between him and Sam, I was relieved. But when he told me that Jacob lost his Imprint because he was falling madly in love with Leah, I was _pissed_. Out of all the women in the world… _Leah?_ You can't be serious!

_Now, now, Bella. Let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe they're good for each other._

I sighed heavily and sat on the couch. I was about to close my eyes, but Reneesme came bouncing down the stairs, as cute as she could be, with a big smile on her face. There was only one thought that ran across my mind:

_Please, PLEASE, tell me that Jacob still cares for her! I don't think I can handle seeing her heartbroken…_

**Edward's POV**

I paced back and forth through Jared's living room, wondering how I was supposed to handle this. I wanted to hope that his Imprint was still there, but… telling by his thoughts…

"_Don't fret, Edward,"_ Jacob thought softly. _"I can handle this."_

I sighed and sat down on the floor beside Jacob. Seth, Quil and the rest of the pack were going to be here soon, which was bound to bring drama. And then my family was coming, including Reneesme, which was bound to bring _more _drama… Ugh… What happened to the good old days where I never had to worry about drama? I miss those days…

Leah, who was sitting next to Jacob on the couch behind me, touched my shoulder and sighed. "I can practically smell the tension rolling off of you, Edward. Calm down."

I bent my head back and looked up at Leah and Jacob. "How am I supposed to be calm? Seth and about everybody else wants to kill Sam. Sam wants to kill Emily and Seth. Everybody wants to kill my family. My family wants to kill themselves. Bella wants to kill you two. Reneesme's gonna be pissed. My world's going upside down, and you want me to be _calm_? That's like asking a bird not to fly!"

A lazy smile appeared on Jacob's face. He chuckled at my sense of panic and shook his head. "I understand why you're freaking out, but we need to get this over with. And getting it over with is not going to be any easier if you're sitting there flipping out."

How can he be so calm? The only sense of panic that he's experiencing is telling Reneesme… But that's it. If anything, he _can't wait_ for all the drama to unfold… Man, this guy is crazy.

**Carlisle's POV**

Okay, so one of two things is about to happen:

A massive fight

A massive argument

There is absolutely no way that there isn't going to be some sort of squabble.

I leaned against the counter of Jared's kitchen and sighed in spite of myself. Two weeks ago, everything was as fit as a fiddle. Nowadays, I don't even know what calm means anymore. I'd rather fight the Volturi than sit through what I'm about to sit through. God help us all.

**Jacob's POV**

Someone knocked on the door, and it wasn't my pack. It smelled like… one of the Cullens? Jeez, how'd they get here so fast?

Edward sighed and got up to open the door. As soon as the door was open, Reneesme flew into the room and launched herself at me. "Jacob!"

She flew into me, knocking us both back against the couch. Leah moved just in time before she could get caught in the collision. I wave of pain racked my chest, but I ignored it and smiled down at Nessie. However, I didn't feel that same attached feeling I would have had a couple days ago. I didn't feel the need to protect her…

She just felt like another child… No one special… Oh jeez.

"Hi, Nessie!" I exclaimed. I tried to smile, but it wouldn't come.

Reneesme stopped and looked down at my bandaged body. She gasped loudly and pulled herself off of me. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you!"

She sat at the foot of the couch sheepishly as a sat up. She looked up at me with apologetic eyes. But still, excitement radiated off of her in waves. She was so happy to see me…

Behind her, I saw the rest of the Cullen family come into the living room, each one of them looking awkward and out of place. Looking at the look of disgust on Rosalie's face, something told me that she wanted to complain about the smell. However, she remained silent.

Behind her, Emmett smiled guiltily and waved at me. "Hey, Jake…"

"Hey, Emmett!" Jared exclaimed, walking out of the kitchen and into the living room. "And how in God's name did you guys get here before our pack got here?"

"Time flies when you're nervous as hell," Emmett sniffed.

Kim and Carlisle filed into the room and smiled at the mass of awkward looking vampires. "Aloha, amigos!" they said together. Beside me, Leah giggled.

"Great, Carlisle, now you got Kim into speaking two different languages at once. Congrats."

"Well, _excuse_ me!" Carlisle laughed. "How many languages do _you_ know? Lemme guess… only English?"

Leah pretended to be hurt and pouted her lips. "Some of us aren't as gifted, Mr. Cullen. Have some respect."

Sam, whom was sitting on the other couch, cleared his throat and glared at Leah. "Stop stalling."

"Stalling? What do you mean?" Leah said. "I'm not stalling anything…"

"I think I gave you too much drugs, Sam. No one's stalling." Carlisle snickered.

"Guys!" Sam snapped impatiently.

"Okay, okay," Carlisle laughed loudly. "Don't get your panties in a bunch. Let's get this party started before Seth comes and rips your throat."

"Wait, what?" Alice asked wide-eyed.

"Nothing," I said before Carlisle could answer. "I'll update you guys, but not now."

"He's right," Carlisle said, suddenly serious, "because there are people in this room who need to apologize."

Emmett lifted his head and gazed at Carlisle for a moment. When Carlisle nodded his head, Emmett sighed and turned to me. "I'm sorry for kicking you guys out. I was just so… _angry_. It was immature of me. Especially since Seth was in danger of dying. I'm not sure if your pack can forgive me, or my family, for our immaturity. I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't forgive us. But can you find it in your heart to _understand_?"

Esme stepped forward and dipped her head slightly in shame. "He's right. We need to stop letting small things people say get to us. Seth should have been our number one priority, not our sense of trust."

"We're going to do everything we can for Seth," Jasper said softly. "We promise."

All was silent as I looked at each of their faces. Suddenly, I couldn't help but burst out laughing. I tried to stop myself, but I couldn't help it. I doubled and fell on the floor holding my stomach in spite of me. Beside me, Leah looked at me in pure confusion.

"What's so funny?" she murmured.

I was able to shorten my laughter into snickers. I sat up and looked up at the Cullen family. "You guys… It's okay! You guys look like you committed a crime of some sort. I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. Save that for Seth. But still, thank you for the maturity…"

Emmett smiled at me and cocked his head to the side. "What's so funny, though?"

I laughed out loud and pointed at him. "I've never known you to be serious for more than two seconds. I felt like I was part of that soap opera "_Days of Our Lives"_! Dun, dun, _dun_!"

Jasper doubled over and fell to the floor laughing while Esme put her face in her hands trying to hide her smile. Emmett rolled his eyes and laughed.

"Jacob, I think your mom dropped you when you were little," he snickered.

"That's what Billy tells me every day." I beamed. "That means I'm _special_!"

Now everyone was laughing, all except for Sam. He was glaring at me with a look that could kill. Why is he such a joy kill? Why can't he loosen up for two seconds? He needs to get laid.

"Jacob," he sighed impatiently. "There's another matter of business that needs to be taken care of…"

"Jeez, I know, I know!" I snapped. "God, Sam, you need to chill out. The sky isn't gonna fall."

"What matter of business?" Reneesme asked. Everyone stopped laughing and looked at me expectedly. Oh man, here we go…

I looked up at Reneesme's angelic face and bit my lip. Imprint or no Imprint, this was going to hurt. "Nessie… I need to tell you something…"

Sensing my distress, she sat up and frowned. "You can tell me anything, Jake. What's going on? What's the matter?"

I sighed and pulled myself onto the couch. I took her face into my palms and looked into her big brown eyes. _You need to do this. You need to do this_. "Nessie… I'm no longer Imprinted with you… It broke when I… when I realized my love for Leah."

All was silent as everyone soaked in my words. I guess Edward didn't tell anybody else about my discovery besides Bella, because every single Cullen, except for Edward, Bella, and Carlisle, had a mask of shock and terror.

Reneesme looked up at me in confusion. But then something clicked for her as her eyes went wide in horror. She pulled herself out of my hands and leaned away from me shaking her head. Tears were swelling in her eyes, some of them spilling over onto her flustered cheeks.

"D-Does that mean… that you don't like me anymore?" she whimpered.

"No, I still like you, Nessie! It's just… I'm not that… how do I say this…?

"Attached. You're not that attached anymore…" she finished as she looked away.

"I'll always wanna hang out with you. Trust me, I will! And I'll always protect you, and we can still have fun─"

"But that special place in your heart isn't for me anymore…" she sobbed. "It's for Leah now… I'm just your friend's daughter now? No future?"

"No, I'm sorry. I… I'm…" I struggled to find words as I looked at her heartbroken face. She's only 2 and a half, 3 years old. Why in God's name is she talking about the future? Are her feelings _already _developing? Did she hope that I'd be there for her forever? God, she's like her mother!

"Reneesme," Leah said, "Jacob's not going to give up on you. He's not going to be like before, but he's still gonna be there. And even if he was still Imprinted on you, Jacob's Alpha of _two_ packs now. He's gonna become very busy very soon."

"So no matter what, I'm not going to see very much of you anymore?" Reneesme asked softly.

"No, you won't," I sighed.

It was quiet except for the sound of Reneesme's soft whimpers. I wasn't sure whether I should hold her or not, so I just sat there and waited. After five long minutes, Nessie stopped crying and sighed.

She looked up at me and smiled while wiping the tears off her face. "It's for the best. Besides, we'll still play together when you have time. Hey, maybe I'll stop by a couple times and say hi."

She crawled over to me and hugged me. "Nessie," I whispered, "thank you for understanding."

There was another knock on the door, this one louder. There were a lot of voices outside, so something told me my pack was finally here. The Cullens tensed up again as Carlisle walked over and opened the door.


	24. Round One Fight!

**~I'm on my way to faster updates! I'll try to get a couple chapters every week, but it's gonna be tough, so hang in there Billy! (Love that name :p). Anyways, enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: If only these characters were mine… *sigh***

Round One… Fight!

**Jacob's POV**

The Cullens moved over and sat by my couch as my pack filed into the room. It was silent except for the sound of shuffling feet and beating hearts. I was about to make an announcement, but I caught sight of a boy with short wavy hair and blood red eyes.

My heart leaped as I realized it was Seth. "Seth!" I yelped happily. "Oh my God, your okay!"

Seth looked at me and smiled. Vampire or no vampire, he was still Seth. And he had the stupid little grin of his to prove it. "Well, look at you! Someone got their ass _whooped_!"

I laughed out loud, ignoring the pain, and threw him the finger. "Oh please, if anything _I_ kicked some ass. These are just minor injuries."

Seth walked over and sat at the head of the couch next to me. I was so tempted to give him a big bear hug, but after being tackled by Reneesme, I don't think that's a good idea. Next to me, Reneesme gasped loudly and grinned. "Seth!"

Seth smiled down at Reneesme and waved. "Hiya!"

While Seth and Reneesme gushed about seeing each other, I took notice in the awkwardness that filled the room. Paul was glaring at Emmett and so was Sam. _Oh dear Lord_.

Paul was about to say something, but I put up my hand and glared at him. "Before someone says something stupid, the Cullens would like to say something."

Emmett sighed and stood up. He looked at Seth and back at everybody else. Before he started, he eyed me and grinned widely. "Is it possible for you not to laugh this time, mister Soap Opera, sir?"

I laughed out loud and nodded. Emmett became serious again and looked back at my pack. "I am truly sorry for my behavior. I shouldn't have kicked you guys out. We were all angry and we all took it out on each other. Seth could have gotten hurt, and I don't think I can live with that. Is it possible for us to get past this and move on to a better future?"

It was silent as I tried to stop myself from laughing. I was truly touched by Emmett's maturity, but seeing him so serious… it's just too good. Beside me, Seth snickered.

"Oh my God, I think Hell just froze over. Is Emmett being _serious_? God help us all." Seth laughed out loud.

Jasper started cracking up laughing again, this time Alice and Bella joined him. Emmett glared at them, but I could tell he was trying not to laugh. "Hey, I'm trying to apologize here!"

"I'm sorry!" Bella gasped between giggles. "But maybe I should have apologized, because I can't sit here without laughing!"

"Okay, okay," I chuckled, putting my hands up. I turned to the rest of my pack and sighed. "Emmett really is sorry. Trust me. We're all just a little giggle-happy right now. Emmett, or in other words, mister _Days of Our Lives_ over there just wants to get past this─"

"What is with you and that show?" Emmett and Leah said at the same time. They looked at each other and both fell to the floor laughing. Meanwhile, everybody else looked at us as if we were crazy. Quil cleared his throat.

"I'm honestly not that mad anymore. But… _Days of Our Lives_? What the hell did we miss?"

"A lot." Reneesme smiled.

Everyone eased up, some of them even chuckling to themselves. Everyone was starting to talk amongst themselves when I suddenly remembered something. Something that was definitely going to break the peace.

I looked at Seth and became serious. "Seth, is there something you'd like to talk about? Leah mentioned to me that you were pretty pissed when you woke up…"

Everyone grew silent as Seth sighed and turned his attention to Sam. Sam glared back at Seth in fury clenched his jaw.

"Sam, you owe Emily and Leah an apology," Seth said shortly.

"Why?" Sam spat. "I didn't do anything─"

"You choked Emily!" Seth growled. I sensed him losing control and gripped his forearm, holding him to the couch.

"Within good reason─" Sam started. This time, Leah was the one who growled.

"There is _never_ a good reason to choke a woman! The only reason─"

"Leah." I said, stopping her building rant. She looked up at me with angry eyes. When she saw the apprehension in my eyes, she stopped and looked at the ground in anger. Sam noticed this and glared at me.

"If she has something to say, then let her say it."

Before I could snap at him Seth growled again, but this time, more viciously. "Sam, apologize _now_!"

"Jacob…" Carlisle warned. "Maybe now isn't the time for this."

"Oh shut it, Carlisle. I can take care of myself." Sam snapped. However, Carlisle just rolled his eyes and brushed off Sam's tone as if it were nothing.

"Wait, whoa, I'm so confused!" Alice wailed.

"I'll explain it to you later," Edward whispered.

"Sam," Billy said from across the room. Even though he was all the way across the room, his voice boomed like he was right next to me. "Seth's right. Whether you like it or not, you need to apologize."

"And why is that, hm?" Sam said. "Why do I need to apologize when she tried to leave me. She needed to be put in her place."

An eerie silence erupted throughout the room. I was so shocked by his words that I couldn't even breathe. Suddenly, I felt Ephraim's presence closer than usual.

_The epidemic… Help him, Jacob,_ he whispered into my soul. Suddenly, I knew what I had to say.

"Sam, don't say stuff you don't mean," I said softly.

"Yeah, okay, Dr. Phil. I don't need you to comfort me, Jacob. And I only say things that I mean." Sam huffed.

_Jacob… Sometimes, actions speak louder than words…_

Was Ephraim asking me to hit Sam? That doesn't sound like Ephraim. Suddenly, I became very aware of Emily across the room next to Billy. She was shaking and hugging her chest, almost as if she was trying to keep herself together. No, I wasn't the one who had to hit Sam.

"Emily," I said, "are you afraid?"

She looked up at me in shock and confusion. "N-No…"

"Don't lie to me, Emily. He beat you and choked you to the point whereas you cried in the middle of the bathroom. He hurt you to the point whereas you sought comfort in the arms of your own cousin. He messed up your face, and then he took your dignity… Are you just going to keep letting him walk all over you?"

"But…" she whimpered. "He Imprinted─"

"Screw his Imprint! Imprintment doesn't have shit to do with love. I learned that through my Imprint with Nessie. Even though I'm no longer Imprinted with her, I still care for her. But when I was Imprinted with her, I didn't stay with her because it was mandatory. And Nessie didn't stay with me because it was set. We stayed together because we both care… Maybe Sam cares a little too much about himself─"

"You stay the hell out of my love life!" Sam bellowed.

"─and not enough about you," I continued, ignoring his outburst. "Is it really worth it? There is love out there, Emily. I'm sure you'll find a man worth fighting for. But I you're not going to find that happiness if you keep that ring on your finger."

"Jacob!" Sam snarled, getting up. Jared and Paul were about to run over and hold him down, but I put my hand up and glowered at Sam.

"Sam Uley, sit down now!" I ordered forcefully. Everyone, including Billy, flinched at my tone as Sam sat down. I looked back at Emily and outstretched my hand. "Come. Take my hand."

She hesitated at first, not sure what to do. Kim smiled at her and gave her a playful push. "Go on."

Rosalie smiled at her and stood up. "Jake's right. Don't you ever let a man tie you down. I let that happen to me once, and let's just say it didn't end very well. But then I took a chance and leaped for love and happiness. I found my love, and his name is Emmett. Emily, if you take the chance, you'll find _your_ Emmett."

Tears started to fill Emily's eyes as she walked hesitantly towards me. Embry and Collin moved out of her way as she made her way across the living room. She was about to reach my hand, but Sam interrupted.

"Don't you dare take his hand," he warned dangerously. Emily whimpered and froze, clearly afraid.

"Don't be afraid," I said softly. "I'll protect you. Do you trust me?"

"Yes…" she said quietly, still shaking.

"Then take my hand."

"Don't do it!" Sam shouted.

I looked into her large almond eyes and saw a strength that sprang up from the darkness. She nodded to herself and took my hand quickly. I pulled her close to me and made her sit down in my lap. She faced Sam as I hugged her into my chest.

"Don't be afraid." I whispered again.

I felt her tears dripping onto my hands as I held her tightly. She leaned against me and sighed deeply.

"Sam," she said, a new strength in her voice. "It's over. I'm done with you. I'm done with your crap. I'm done with your insanity. And you can take this," she said, pulling off the engagement ring, "and shove it where it hurts because I'm _not_ Mrs. Uley anymore."

"Like hell you aren't!" he yelled. He was shaking uncontrollably. He was about to phase.

"That's enough," I said sternly. "Don't waste your breath because I'm done with your insanity, too."

"Excuse me?" he said in disbelief.

"Sam," I said, "don't forget who spared your life. Don't forget who's trying to help _you_, the man who's a menace to the pack. I'm trying to save you─"

"From what?!" he snapped.

"From becoming your father." I said quietly. That made him freeze. I watched as he soaked in my words in horror and pain. All of the visible traces of his anger disappeared behind the waves of agony that overtook him. He stopped shaking and melted against the couch as tears escaped from his wide eyes.

"I'm… my father… aren't I…? I'm… a monster." he mumbled through his tears.

"Sam, you're not a monster. There's a demon inside of you, both physically and mentally. I'll explain it later, but right now, you need to focus getting better. It's not going to be easy. In fact, it may drive you to the very tips of your sanity. But I'm going to be there for you every step of the way…"

"Why?" he whimpered. "I almost killed you. I _tried_ to kill you! I'm not worth it…"

"Yes, you are. Everyone deserves a second chance. My mom taught me that. Everyone deserves a chance at having a good life. That's why I spared you, Sam. I'm gonna need you to take my hand the way Emily did. I'm not expecting you to do it now, though. But I will be there when you fall. And I'll be ready to pull you up again."


	25. Round Two Fight!

**~A/N – Sorry I missed my weekly update!! Sickness sucks so much! Anyways, I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it! And I will try to get more frequent with the updates. The story's coming to an end pretty soon, and I'll try to make a part 2 story!  
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**Disclaimer: NOOOO!!!!!!!!!! I don't own any of the characters!**

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Round Two… Fight!

**Leah's POV**

I honestly don't know how Jacob does it. He so bipolar! Not even a month ago, he would have laughed this off and he would have told everyone that it was none of his business. He would have never even thought of choosing me over Nessie. He would have never forgiven the Cullens, no matter how much he loved them. He's grown up so much, faster than his actual growth spurts, which is saying something.

I sat there staring at him as he cradled Emily all the while comforting a very broken Sam. I feel like I'm watching a soap opera, Jacob-style. Everyone else is staring at him in awe just like me. Hell, even Edward's looking up at Jacob as if he's some higher power.

Billy and Carlisle are just smiling like idiots. Billy looks like he won the lottery. Carlisle just looks amused. Reneesme's looking up at him as if he's some god.

After a while, Seth cleared his throat. "Um, I don't mean to interrupt this otherworldly moment, but am I gonna go hunting any time soon?"

"Oh, right!" Carlisle gasped. "I totally forgot about that! Sorry, Seth."

"It's okay. I actually forgot about it too, until just now."

Suddenly, Edward jumped up. "Can I take him hunting?"

"You sound awfully excited, Edward." Jacob laughed. "Are you _that_ eager to get away from the masses?"

"No," Edward defended. "I just wanna take him hunting. Plus, I want some quality time with my main man."

"I thought _I_ was your main man?" Emmett wailed. "Are you cheating on me?"

Edward put on a fake act of guiltiness and sighed dramatically. "Emmett, baby, I was gonna tell you… But… I love Seth more. I'm sorry!"

"Um, excuse me?" Bella giggled. "Since when do you call Emmett "_baby"_? I'm insulted. And what's this I hear about Seth?"

"Oh snaps!" Quil laughed loudly. "Edward, is there something you'd like to confess?"

Edward sighed dramatically again and put the backside of his hand over his forehead. "It's true! I have been having an affair with Emmett! But then I cheated on Emmett with Seth! I just couldn't choose between three beautiful women!"

"Hey, who are you calling a woman?" Seth said self-consciously. "I am I proud man, sir."

"You weren't saying that last night." Brady muttered under his breath.

"Are you _still_ mad at me, Brady?" Seth asked in disbelief. "I didn't mean to punch you, I swear!"

"Damn, Brady, you got your ass _whooped_!" Embry snickered. "Speaking of which, I think we should test out Seth's strength. Telling by the size of the hole in the wall, something tells me he could kick any of our asses in a millisecond."

"Oh, please," Jacob scoffed. "I could take Seth down with a blindfold on."

"You wanna test that theory?" Seth grinned widely.

"Back to the task at hand!" Billy interrupted with a stifled laugh. "I'm sure it doesn't matter who takes Seth hunting. However, Carlisle, I'm curious as to how we're going to handle Seth's bouts of thirst?"

Carlisle sighed and became serious. "I'll be more than happy to monitor Seth's cravings. Besides, none of us are quite sure as to what exactly he is. While he is acting normal as of right now, I think that it would be best to proceed with caution. Seth didn't hurt Emily when he bit her, but that doesn't mean that he's exactly _safe_."

"He's right," Edward agreed. "It's clear that Seth has strong cravings, just like a vampire. If he were to bite anyone else, especially someone who had no idea what he was, then there would be big trouble."

"Are you saying that I'm lethal?" Seth pouted. "I didn't mean to hurt Emily…"

"I know, Seth." Edward sighed. "But, as a vampire, it's not about what you _meant_ to do. It's about what you're _going_ to do. When you're thirsty, you do things you never thought you'd do. While it is true that you didn't hurt Emily in any shape or form, you did hurt Brady."

"I'm fine, though─" Brady began. But Billy stopped him.

"What they're trying to say is that if Seth was in this very situation with different people, people who weren't as strong as Brady or as fearless as Emily, then something bad would happen. Imagine if Brady were Charlie. Imagine if Charlie was the one who tried to stop Seth. Would Seth react differently?"

Seth flinched and looked away. I couldn't help but feel bad for him. He woke up something new, and now everyone was saying he was dangerous. However, Billy does have a good point.

"Seth," I said, putting my hand on his shoulder. "We're not saying all of this to make you feel like you're some criminal or something. Carlisle is just trying to make sure that you stay yourself _without_ any accidents occurring."

"She's right," Jacob agreed. "We have no idea how to take care of you now, and so we have to go about this carefully."

"Okay," Seth sighed. "But Carlisle?"

"Hm?"

"What if I do something… really bad? What if I'm not able to stop myself like I did with Emily? And since I'm still part werewolf, is my anger going to make me… kill someone?"

Carlisle flinched at the word and clenched his fists. "Honestly?"

"Please, tell the truth…" Seth whispered.

"It all depends on the person. With Bella, she was able to control her thirst as soon as she woke up. She was different, and probably because we told her what to expect. However… with you, it may be different. We have no idea whether you can ever phase again. We have no idea how strong you are. We just don't know enough."

"So…?"

"So…. it may be a possibility that if someone isn't there to watch you, then you may let your anger get the best of you…"

Seth flinched and bit his lip. "Was it like that with you? When you had no idea what to do and how to do it?"

Carlisle looked at him with sad eyes and nodded. "I had to go through the newborn process alone. I let my anger get the best of me too many times. _Way_ too many times. But you're not doing this alone, Seth."

It was silent for a brief moment before Jacob started laughing again. "I swear to God, I feel like I'm on TV. _Seth wakes up something new, and he has no idea what… Dun, dun, dun_."

"Oh my God, what is with you and soap operas?" Emmett laughed. "You can't be serious for two seconds!"

"I'm sorry! It's just… it's a little hard to keep a straight face when I feel like there should be an organ going on in the background. I think we might be cutting to commercials soon."

"It had better not be one of those eHarmony commercials," Jasper sighed. "I hate those things."

"Why?" I couldn't help but ask.

"Because I always hope for one of them to fall when they start dancing around, except for the fact that it never happens!"

"You're so evil." Emily giggled. "I guess I'm evil too, because I always wait for one of them to fall."

"I know, right?" Jasper smiled. "I just wanna go into the TV and kick one of them!"

Seth laughed and shook his head. "My God, Jasper, you are so mean!"

Sam cleared his throat and shook his head. "It's amazing how off-topic we can get. I just don't know how you guys do it."

"It takes a _lot_ of training," Jacob murmured.

"Anyways," Sam said impatiently, "when are you guys gonna go hunting?"

"How about now?" Seth smiled. Although, through that cute smile of his, I saw the torture and the pain he was going through… _Is he that thirsty?_

Edward must have seen this too, because he clapped his hands together and said, "Alright! Let's go!"

"Can I come, too?" Jacob asked.

"You can't be serious, Jake." I asked in disbelief. "You were practically dead 24 hours ago. Now you want to go hunting with them?"

"I'm not going to _actually_ go hunting," Jacob sighed heavily. "I just wanna watch. And besides, I feel better already!"

"Carlisle, what do you think?" Jared asked. "Should he be allowed to move?"

"Well," Carlisle hummed, "his bones are all healed and his lungs should be alright. He's healing faster than ever, which I find strange because Sam still hasn't healed yet."

"I'm a freak upon nature!" Jacob said proudly.

"So does that mean that Jacob can move around?" Billy asked, completely ignoring his goofy son.

"Well, let's find out!" Carlisle said excitedly. "Jacob, why don't you try standing up and walking around?"

With that, Emily got off of Jacob's lap and sat down on the floor next to me. Jacob sighed and stood off the couch and stretched. There were a few cracks here and there, but mostly because he hasn't moved for a long time. He wiggled out his hand turned his torso from left to right. As soon as he was down stretching, he grinned down at me with that smile I will always love.

I couldn't help but giggle. "Well, well, well! Look at you, sexy."

"Um, excuse me? Did you just call him _sexy?_" Collin gaped. "What have I been missing? I know you two made out on the beach and all, but _sexy_?"

"It's only a matter of time before he puts a ring on her finger." Quil muttered. I felt my face heat up in embarrassment.

"What the…? Wait, Jacob and Leah _made out_?!" Seth gasped.

_Oh dear God_, I thought. I had forgotten that Seth didn't know about Jacob and me. This isn't good, not one bit.

I was about to try to coax him, but then I watched in surprise as a big smile spread across his abnormally good looking face.

"It's about freaking time!" he bellowed. "I swear, I thought I was going to grow grey hair before you two finally went at it!"

"You make it sound like they had sex on the beach." Billy chuckled.

"W-Wait!" I stuttered. "You're not mad?"

"Why would I be mad?" Seth smiled sweetly. "As long as he makes you happy, then by all means, go right ahead. Besides, I always thought that Jacob was the best choice for you."

In the corner of my eye, I saw Jacob's cheeks grow red as he looked away with a smile on his face. "You're way too noble for your age, kid. It's infectious."

"How come you got all mad when Sam slept with Leah?" Brady asked suddenly. J.I glared daggers at him and threw up my middle finger.

"Did you really have to remind us?" I snarled.

"Seriously." Jacob snarled with me. While I was very angry at Brady for being such a fucking loud mouth, it brought me joy to know that Jacob was jealous. It let me know how much he cared about me. _Teehee_…

"Well," Seth grumbled, interrupting my reverie, "the thought of _Sam_ touching my sister is a lot more revolting than the thought of Jacob touching her. While it is nice just to not think about _anyone_ touching her, if I had to choose, I would choose Jacob."

"Teacher's pet." Sam grumbled under his breath. However, Seth heard him loud and clear, because Seth stood up and faced Sam with the angriest expression I've ever seen on his face. It didn't belong there.

"Hey!" Billy warned.

"Listen," Seth snarled, completely ignoring Billy and Jacob's restraining hand, "you ruined my sister's life, you cunt. You took her heart and smashed it into two. And then, on top of that, you used her love for you to get what you want! I'm not stupid, nor blind. I saw how you manipulated her!"

"That's not─" Sam began.

"I'm not _done_, Sam!" Seth snarled even louder. "Don't you _dare_ interrupt me! I've watched as she curled at your feet. You pretended to be sorry, but you weren't. You just pitied her. Pity! I promised my dad that I'd protect her, but that ship sailed the moment you said you loved. Even before you broke up with her, you used her!"

"How?" Sam snapped, getting angrier by the second.

"Whenever you wanted something from Harry, like fish or something, you'd have _her_ beg him. You came to our house for dinner almost every single fucking night! You used her car almost every day. You used her to get to the ancient records of the Quileute history. But whenever she needed something, you refused. You always had_ some_ excuse up your ass. You _never_ loved Leah."

"Seth, stop it!" I protested with tears in my eyes. I was crying because I knew it was true. I let myself be used by that man. What kind of woman am I? What does that say about me?

"Bella did the _exact_ same thing!" Sam pointed out with a smirk.

Jacob whipped his head towards Sam and growled. "Don't bring me into this, Sam."

"But it's true. Bella did you just as I did Leah. Why isn't anybody yelling at her?"

Edward growled under his breath while Bella whimpered. I can't take this anymore. I stood up with my hands on my hips. "At least Bella can admit what she did," I retorted. "At least she tried to patch things up. She _knows_ she made a mistake. And while I hate to admit it, believe me, I _do_, but Bella didn't intentionally hurt Jacob. You hurt me because you were fucking lazy. Bella hurt Jacob because she was stuck between two really good men. One way or another, someone was going to get hurt."

"Does that mean it's right?" I continued. "No, she shouldn't of been so misleading. However, Jake was a complete idea because she did warn him to stay in the friend zone!"

"Hey!" Jacob protested. "I was a teenager!"

"And now, you're suddenly a man?" Billy laughed. "Hallelujah! It's about time! Now pack your shit and get out!"

"Hey, hey, hey. I'm not _that_ grown." Jacob snickered.

"My point is," I interrupted, "you can't just pin your mistakes on somebody else. There are millions of people in the world who break hearts, and you're one of them."

Sam snorted and returned his attention back to Seth. "Doesn't mean you have to attack me."

"Like hell I don't─" Seth began.

"So how about that hunting?" Edward said a little too loudly. Seth looked at him and sighed. He relaxed slightly, but didn't take his guard down.

"So, can I go?" Jacob asked. I had totally forgotten about why he was standing up.

"Sure!" Carlisle said happily. He was probably happy that the confrontation between Seth and Sam was over, and I couldn't blame him.

"Alrighty!" Emmett said loudly. "Let's get this party started!


	26. The Hunter, Hunted, and the Wordless Lov

**~Howdy, ya'll! Today's the day! I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot, so ya'll just sit back and enjoy the ride, okay? **

**Disclaimer: There are two things I don't own, one of them being the characters in this chapter. The other one being a southern accent. I just thought it'd be fun to try it out (what'd ya think?)**

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The Hunter, the Hunted, and the Wordless Love

**Seth's POV**

I walked through the woods with Edward on my left and Jacob on my right. It was nice to walk around and stretch after being cramped in a room full of people, one of them being the person I hate the most. Just in case nobody noticed, I HATE Sam Uley. I hated him ever since I met him. I hated his stance, his cocky attitude, and the disgusting way he stares at my sister.

_Calm down_, I cooed mentally. _Deep breaths…_

Beside me, Edward laughed out loud. "Geez, Seth, you really hate that guy. I don't think I've ever hated someone so much… well… except for Jacob. But that's a different story."

Jacob snorted. "Please tell me you're not comparing me to Sam? You didn't hate me _that_ much."

"I _used_ to hate you. Now, I'm just annoyed," Edward joked. "Why are you here again?"

"Because I fucked your mom and wanted to tell you about it." Jacob smirked. It was silent for a brief second before they both broke out into fits of laughter. I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"I can't believe you two are so close now. I remember the days when you two wanted to kill each other… Do you think I'll ever warm up to Sam?"

"Um…" Edward hesitated. "Honestly?"

"I… don't…" Jacob fidgeted beside me. "I mean… my hatred for Edward was based on jealousy. And envy. Your hatred for Sam is purely…" He was at a loss for words.

"What he means is," Edward rescued him from his embarrassment, "we hated each other because we both loved the same girl. You hate Sam because of his very existed. You hate him because of the way he acts. You hate him because of what he did to Leah."

I was about to agree, but I was stopped short by the most delicious scent I have ever smelled. The only thing that has ever smelled this good was when Emily bit her lip, but this smelled even _better_ than that. It was intoxicating. I felt drunk with euphoria.

I stopped walking and sniffed the air. The smell was coming from the east. Without thinking, I ran towards the smell, leaving Jacob and Edward behind.

**Jacob's POV**

What Edward said was true. Seth really did hate Sam. I could tell Seth agreed, and I knew he was about to say something, but then he froze. His nose twitched and his strangely red eyes went wide. A grin spread across his face, but the smile was very discomforting. It reminded me of the look lions get when they've captured their prey.

Seth stopped and sniffed the air, which made me stop. I sniffed the air too, but I didn't smell anything. But when I looked at Edward, I could tell that he smelled whatever was making Seth happy.

"_What is he sniffing about?_" I asked mentally. But before he could even answer, Seth took off with that creepy smile on his face.

"H-Hey! Wait!" I yelled after him. I was about to run after him, but Edward stopped me with his hand. He turned and looked at me with a very serious look in his eye.

"Stay here. I don't want you to get hurt. I'll watch him." He didn't give me time to argue, because he was already running after him by the time he finished the sentence.

**Edward's POV**

Why did this _always_ have to happen? Why does the newborn always have to run off when he or she smells something good? Bella did this, and when I tried to stop her, she growled at me. But the situation with Bella was different.

Bella smelled a human. As of right now, Seth smells a lion. That's it. A freaking _lion_.

I don't know why he's getting so excited over an animal, especially when he's tasted human blood. I always thought that Seth was weird, but this is just ridiculous.

I ran after Seth in vain, knowing that I wasn't going to catch up with him. He was one of the fastest things I've ever laid eyes on, and that's saying something. Even at my fullest speed, I couldn't seem to reach him. All I could see is his blurry figure through the thick green of the trees.

"Seth!" I shouted after him. "Seth, slow down!" But it was useless. He wasn't gonna stop until he got what he wanted.

Suddenly, we burst into a clearing with the rare sun shining above us. I shielded my eyes with my hand and looked out to see Seth standing a few feet away from me in a crouched position. I looked past him and gasped as I took in one of the biggest lions I have ever seen. I could smell the rich blood that pulsed through his veins, and, for a moment, I was jealous of the fact that Seth got to taste this beautiful creature before I could. _Damn you_…

The lion gazed at Seth and flexed his muscles. When Seth didn't flinch, the lion let out an ear-splitting roar that echoed off the trees. Still, however, Seth stood still.

I walked next to Seth and looked up at him (that's right, I have to look _up _ at him, nowadays), and gasped. His russet skin wasn't glistening, which was a good thing to me. But what was shocking was that his eyes were glowing with excitement. _Literally_.

His large eyes were _glowing_ blood-red. It was almost as if someone turned on a light in his eyes. Seth's subtle smile was now a full on grin that showed a row of sharp canine teeth. Two of his front teeth were extended farther from the rest, showing his fearsome white fangs.

If I had a beating heart, I would have had a heart attack by now. I've never seen a creature so beautifully terrifying, and it sucked to know that Seth is the first one.

I was snapped out of my reverie by Seth's playful growl. He inched towards the unmoving lion. That's when I noticed how rigid the lion was. Usually, lions would try to attack. But this lion was… _afraid._

"Here kitty, kitty." Seth purred as he inched closer. "Come to daddy."

I didn't like his voice. I didn't like it one bit. It brought chills up my spine. "Seth…"

He didn't even flinch at my voice, he just kept moving until he was inches from the lion's neck. I could see the lion shivering with fear, his eyes growing wide as he realizes that this is the end. With one final snicker, Seth sunk his teeth into the lion's neck, causing the lion to hiss in pain.

I have expected the lion to start withering in pain like I'm used to, but it didn't. No, instead, he purred. _Purred!_ That's right, you heard me. He fucking _purred_. He pushed his neck farther into Seth's mouth and purred louder.

I couldn't help but gape, and I kept gaping until the lion fell limp to the ground peacefully and Seth stood up. He licked the excess blood off his lips and smiled. There wasn't a drop out of place. Not one.

Seth turned and looked at me, his eyes no longer glowing and his teeth no longer sharp, and laughed. "Why are you looking at me like that? You act like you've never seen a vampire hunt before."

I thawed out and scratched my head. "Well, that's because I never thought I'd see _you_ hunt like that. Last time I checked, you loved animals and you hated hunting them. Now, you're giving lions orgasms when you're thirsty. What has the world come to?"

Seth threw his head back and laughed out loud. "Don't be mad because I'm not vicious like the rest of you!"

_But you are… You're just as vicious… Maybe even more…_ But I didn't say it out loud. I didn't want to hurt his feelings. So, instead, I said, "So let me get this straight. Animals smell and taste better than humans to you, right?"

"Yep!" he said happily.

I scratched my head again, not sure how to feel. "Well, that's a relief.. I guess…"

Seth stopped smiling and stared at me. "You guess? What's that supposed to mean?"

"No, no! I don't mean it as a bad thing… It's just… Do _all_ animals smell good to you? Like, if a girl walks around with a poodle, are you gonna react? And what happens if one of the pack members bleed? What's _that_ gonna smell like?" I didn't want to ask too many questions because I didn't want to pressure him. But I couldn't help myself.

"Huh. I guess I never really thought about it like that. I don't think I'll kill the poodle though."

"Why?"

He smiled the smile that belonged to the Seth before the change, the Seth I loved most. "Because I absolutely _hate_ poodles."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Why? They're so _cute!"_

"_No the hell they aren't!_" he laughed. "Those things are ferocious!"

"Excuse me? Did you just call a poodle _ferocious_? You kill vampires for a living, and you have no problem with it, but poodles are the epitome of ferocious? Seth Clearwater, you are the weirdest person I have ever met in my entire life!"

**Jacob's POV**

I walked back into Jared's house and sighed in relief when I saw that everyone has dispersed. Sam was sleeping on the couch with Carlisle checking his status. I heard Kim and Jared talking in the kitchen. Nessie was knocked out on the other couch with Leah smiling down at her.

I shut the door quietly and walked over to sit next to Leah on the couch. As I sat down, Leah whispered, "Where's Seth and Edward?"

"Seth ran off and Edward went to go chase him. Edward told me to stay behind because he didn't want me to pull anything, I guess."

Leah looked ill with worry. Her eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip. "Were there… any humans in the woods?"

"No, I don't think so. Edward didn't look to panicked. He just looked confused."

Leah sighed with relief and leaned against my shoulder. I leaned my head against hers and hummed to myself. It felt nice sitting next to her, and for a moment, I forgot all my other troubles. I just sat there and smiled at her scent and the feel of her heart beating against mine. I hummed to the beat of our hearts, getting lost in the beautiful tune, and smiled wider.

She smiled too, and soon, she was humming with me. I guess she found out what I was humming to. _I love you, Leah Clearwater…_

**Carlisle's POV**

Listening to Jacob and Leah humming just broke my heart. They are so_ cute_ together! They remind me of Esme and I. They remind me of when Esme and I would sing to each other, just cuddled up next to a fireplace. If I weren't so busy nowadays, I would sing to her like I used to. Now… I just don't have the time. Which is weird because I'm an immortal, so time shouldn't be an issue. But still… I miss Esme every time I'm away from her. It makes me sad that I can't cuddle up with her like I used to.

What's really sad is that Jacob's about to go through what I'm going through. He's about to become a very busy man. He should cherish his time with her while he can. The thought made me sigh.

I didn't mean to do it so loudly, but I did, and I must've sounded worried. Because Jacob and Leah stopped humming. Behind me, Jacob asked, "Are you okay, Dr. C? You sound stressed. I hope we weren't bothering you…"

Without turning around, I said, "No, no, you weren't bothering me. It was pretty relaxing actually. It's just… I wish I could hum to the one I love like you too are…"

There was an awkward silence behind me, and at first I thought it was because they didn't want to hear about my marital issues. But, with a tinge of sheer terror, I realized my mistake. They never confessed their love for each other in public. I realized that Jared and Kim were no longer talking, and that Sam was now awake.

_Good going, Carlisle. You hear them once and now you decide to put them on blast. Perfect. You dipshit_.

However, Leah just giggled behind me. "Love… I was meaning to ask you about that, actually."

I turned around and stared at the blushing couple. "What do you mean?"

Leah giggled again and squeezed Jacob's hand. "Well… how do you know when that person's… _the one?"_

Jacob looked down at her in mock hurt and pouted. "Are you questioning my love for you? I'm hurt."

"Well," I laughed, "for one thing, you can't base it off of sexual desire because that's _not_ gonna work. Trust me, I've been there. You know when that person is_ the one_ when they bring out someone special in you. And you also can tell by when you kiss that person."

"He's right, you know," Jared said, walking into the room with a big smile on. "A kiss is like telling a thousand words through your lips. And every single one of those words shouldn't make sense. Not one of those words should scream 'lust' or 'desire'. No, every single one of those words should mainly consist of three: _I love you_."

I couldn't help but laugh. "Whoa, when did Jared become a philosopher?"

"Seriously," Kim agreed as she walked in, "that was beautiful, babe."

Jared smiled down at her and stared into her eyes. "Only a man in love can produce such art."

"Holy cow, _get a room_!" Jacob howled with laughter. "You're educated talk is giving me whiplash, man, cut it out."

Jared tore his gaze from Kim's and stuck his tongue out at Jacob. I chuckled at them, but only half-heartedly. I couldn't help but think about the last time when I talked to Esme like that. What was that, like two months ago?

I turned back to Sam with a frown on my face. Esme was still mad at me about the whole "me giving up" thing. She lost faith in me, and it hurts. Hell, _I_ lost faith in me. I lost my son's trust, Reneesme's mad at me, and the list goes on. _Do I really deserve love?_

"Carlisle?" Jared said, his voice laced with worry.

I looked up at him and attempted to smile. "I'm fine…"

"Why don't you just take her out on a date?" Jacob said. "Make her feel special."

"Jacob," I sighed, "if you knew how mad at me she was, you'd understand."

"Now wait just a damned minute," Leah stood up with her hands on her hips. She her mouth twisted into a scowl that told me she wasn't happy. "I see the way you look at her, Carlisle."

Then, in a softer voice, she said, "I know how you feel. Trust me, I do. I know how it feels to not know what to say to someone you deeply care about, especially when they're mad at you. You know, the second Jake found out what I said about you, he chewed me out. I deserved it, I really did. And only a man like Jacob could ever make me realize that. But if you just open up your heart to Esme, you'll find that all she wants right now is for you to be with her."

"Leah." Jacob and I sighed at the same time.

"It's true," she continued. "Kiss her, Carlisle. Kiss her and remind her why she loves you."

Jacob looked at Leah with adoring eyes as Leah stared at me with confident ones. She knew what she was talking about. This girl has been through hell and back when it came to love. Suddenly, I felt self-assured. With one simple nod, I got up and left Jared's place, leaving them all staring after me with smiles on their faces.

**Jacob's POV**

Listening to Leah's speech only made me realize that there was no going back. I was always gonna love her, believe it or not, and that thought scared the living crap out of me.

She looked down at me and sighed deeply. "That man is a fool in love like the rest of us."

"You can say that again…" I murmured. In one swift movement, I stood up and took her face between my hands. Before she could say a word, I bent down and pressed my lips against hers. I forgot Jared, Kim, and Sam's presence as I slowly engulfed myself in the passion that exploded between us.

Lightning surged through me as we floated through the air blissfully. As I lips moved, only three words made sense in the language of this moment:

_I love you_.

**Leah's POV**

Jared was right. Nothing makes sense when you're in love. The only thing I truly know anymore is that I'm madly, head-over-heels, in love with Jacob Black, and I don't know how it happened. One moment we're mortal enemies. The next, we're kissing each other. But these kisses are more than just normal kisses. They're fits of passion, passion I've never felt before.

I wanted to break away and tell him how much he means to me, but the words were already there. Every breath, every heart beat. _I love you. I love you._ Every sound, every moan. _I love you. I love you._ Every second that passes. Every single waking moment. _I love you, Jacob Black!_

**Jared's POV**

I don't know how they started kissing, or _why_, but it just _happened_. It doesn't make sense, but that's love for you. One moment you're making senseless conversation. The next, you're kissing each other passionately. I've gone through this before, hell, I still do it. I can't stay in the same room as Kim without kissing her or telling her how much I love her.

And it's not the Imprint that's making me love her. No, it's more than that.

When I first Imprinted with Kim, it felt like an obligation being next to her. But now… now it's so much more. I can't spend a second away from her without feeling some sort of pain. I love her, and that's just the truth.

And looking at Jacob kiss Leah tells me he feels the same way about Leah. He _loves_ her, not the same way he "loved" Bella. This is where the truth lies, this is the essence of passion.

Oh, and another thing. It's Kim's fault that I've become so poetic. When you're in love, it's just the way you think. Good times, good times…

**Carlisle's POV**

I burst through the front door of my house and walked into the kitchen immediately. Everyone except for Edward and Bella were there. But my heart only saw Esme.

However, when she saw me, she looked away in dismay. I couldn't help but feel dejected, but I mustn't give up!

"Hey, Carlisle…" Jasper said cautiously. He was still mad too. "What's up? Is there a problem─"

"Everyone except for Esme: get out." I said sternly. "Now."

"_Excuse_ me?" Rosalie hissed. "What do you mean─"

"I said, _get out_. Now!" I snarled. Everyone stood there frozen. Seconds passed before Emmett sighed ant towed angry Rosalie out of the kitchen. Jasper, Alice, and Bella followed suit. However, I couldn't help but notice the way Alice and Jasper exchanged a smile. _Whatever._

As soon as they were gone, Esme snapped, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I walked towards her, determined to get my point across. When I didn't answer, she said, "Carlisle, answer me─"

I stopped her request short as I crushed my lips against hers. She squirmed and tried to get away from me, but I pushed her against the counter and held her captive by my embrace. I forced her mouth open and raked my tongue across her bottom lip, capturing a moan from her.

After a moment, she stopped fighting and moved her lips with mine fiercely. I felt my head getting dizzy as she stopped pushing against my chest and started pulling my shirt to bring me closer. I felt like my world was on fire, but in a good way. I felt whole again, I felt like myself.

I broke the kiss, reluctantly I might add, and stared into her beautiful butterscotch eyes. Her lip trembled as she stared back up at me in both longing and regret, clearly confused.

"Carlisle…" she whispered shakily. "What was that…?"

"That was me telling you how much I missed you. That was me telling you that I'm sick and tired of not treating you like a queen, the way you should be treated. I've put my job, the pack, this family's issues, _everything_ before you and I, and I'm done. I can't take this anymore. Do you know how long I've wanted to kiss you like that, without worrying about one of the kids popping in? You deserve more than me. You deserve a man who can stick up for you _and_ himself. You deserve a man who doesn't give up. You deserve a _man_, Esme. And I want to _be_ that man. I want to give you everything in the world. I want to sing to you. I want to dance with you. I want to be reckless with you. I'm done trying to be the peace-maker, the guy who wastes his time trying to solve all the problems in the world. Because there's only _one_ problem I want to solve, and that's the amount of time I get to spend with _you_."

Esme stared wide-eyed at my speech, breathless and shocked. I saw color flood into her face, more color than I've ever seen before, and it was beautiful. "Carlisle," she gasped, "I don't k-know what to s-say─"

I put my index finger to her lips lightly, halting her stutter fit. "You don't need to say a word," I whispered softly. "Not one."

I bent down and kissed her again, softer this time, but the exploding passion was still there. _I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you…_

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**~For some strange reason, this was my favorite chapter! I felt like I needed to write about some of the other couples in this story, all while giving you a fill of some Blackwater lovin' ;D. I hoped you enjoyed it! (And I've bet you've noticed that I've given up the whole "ya'll" thing. Just wasn't working out).**


	27. Demon Days

**~Quick Update time! I seriously need to start speeding up with the updates, folks. I hope you enjoy! However, I must say, this chapter is more on the serious side.**

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Demon Days

**Jacob's POV**

I spent the rest of the day on the couch with Leah, while Nessie was knocked and while Jared and Kim were in the kitchen. Carlisle never came back, which I take as I good sign. He looked so sad when he told me about Esme. It's nice to know he's spending a little time on his marriage.

Today was a good day. Edward called me and told me that everything went fine, and that it was just a lion. And even though the tone of his voice told me that something was bothering him, I just let it go. Sam lied on the other couch quietly, not even attempting to say anything whenever Leah and I got all fluffy. Nessie slept the whole time, which I found endearing.

Even though my Imprint with her is gone, I still feel for her. I still want to be her friend, if not her brother, and I want to be there as much as possible. I'll still protect her, but I won't be all stingy about it.

As night fell, however, I started to worry about Sam. He was so quiet. I knew it had something to do with Emily, and I didn't want to talk about what happened, but I couldn't help but wonder.

"Jacob?" Leah asked suddenly, worry laced into her voice. "You okay?"

I nodded slowly, knowing that my voice would betray me. However, telling by the look on her face, she didn't buy it.

"Jacob…"

"I'm fine." I said flatly. I didn't mean to sound so harsh, but she flinched anyways. "I'm sorry. It's just…"

"It's just…?" she echoed into a question.

"Well…" I turned to Sam and took in the tension that rolled off his body. I considered letting it go, but I had this gut feeling that I needed to address this sooner rather than later. So I said, "Sam?"

He lied there for a second before turning his head slowly and facing me with an empty expression. "Hm?"

"Um… Are you alright? You seem a little… quiet." I fidgeted, ignoring Leah's burning gaze.

"Why?" he asked flatly.

"Well… I'm just worried, that's all." I honestly felt stupid for saying this. He tried to kill me, he slept with my girl, choked his wife, and made a fool out of this pack, and I was _worried_? What the hell is wrong with me? I should be laughing my ass off at him, for crying out loud. But no, I'm worried. I swear my dad is rubbing off on me.

Apparently Leah felt the same way, because I could feel her staring at me as if I lost every bit of my mind. Sam just stared at me, his face slowly becoming skeptical. "Oh really?" he asked bitterly. "You're worried? After everything that's happened, you're _worried_?"

"Well─" I began.

"No, I think you're full of shit." He snapped, cutting me off. "You're absolutely full of shit."

"Did I _not_ say that I was gonna be there for you?" I fought to retain the anger that was boiling in my stomach.

He sat up gingerly and glared at me. "I think you only said that to make everybody believe that you're the good guy."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Leah snarled before I could.

I was about to growl at him too, but then I felt a presence so strong but yet so subtle, I didn't know what to say. _"Don't forget," _a deep voice in my head told me. _"Don't forget what he's going through…"_

_Ephraim, _I sighed mentally with recognition. _Is that you?_

"_Yes, my son. It is I. I'm glad you recognized my presence so quickly."_ I heard the humor that tinged his voice.

_You need to have more faith in me_.

"_I have a lot of faith in you. Anyways, do not forget what is plaguing the boy."_

_You never exactly told me_, I thought precariously.

"_In time, son. Just remember that there is a demon inside of him."_ I felt his voice fade away slowly, and soon, his presence was gone, leaving me back in the world where Leah and Sam were arguing like crazy.

"You're an asshole," Leah was saying, voice sharp like knives. "He offers you mercy and you throw it in his face!"

"Well, _excuse_ me for being the object of a divorce!" he spat.

"Well, that's your fault!" Kim shouted. I hadn't realized that she was in the room… Huh. My senses are awfully low lately.

Beside her, Jared stood with his hands on his hips. "She's right. Don't blame everybody else just because you don't know how to keep your hands to yourself."

I couldn't help but feel angry at Jared's comment. The thought of Sam touching Leah really pissed me off, and it only made it worse when I realized that he choked Emily with those same hands. Ephraim's words forgotten, I glared at Sam.

"Sam, you can't possibly be pissed off about something that was inevitable. You fucked your ex-girlfriend and then choked your wife. It was only a matter of time before someone either handed you divorce papers or someone knocked the shit out of you. It just so happens that both happened in the same week. So stop bitching. You're giving me a headache."

Everyone, except for Sam, was nodding in agreement. Sam just fumed on the couch and glared at me. "You don't know what I've been through─"

"I _do_ know," I cut him off. "I _do_ know what you've been through. And if you weren't being such a douche about things, I would be there for you 24/7. Sam, every single one of us wants to help you, except for maybe Seth. But that's only because you've pissed him off royally."

Sam threw his hands up in exasperation and scowled. "It's hard to not be 'a douche' when I'm getting attacked from all sides─"

I tuned him out as realization hit me, or Ephraim's words to be exact. Sam had a form a multi-personality disorder, except that it wasn't a mental thing. It was a soul-deep thing. Which means that, no matter how hard I try, I just can't convince him to stop being the way he is. He's stuck between two realities.

So the only way to show him which was which was to lure out the demon in him. Which meant pissing him off. Shit.

"Hey, Sammy?" I asked suddenly, interrupting his bitch-rant.

"Don't call me that!"

"Too bad," I snickered. "But I'm gonna need you to explain to me exactly _what_ happened between you and your dad."

"Why?" Jared asked, clearly confused.

"Because," I answered innocently, "I honestly don't think the abuse he suffered was _that_ bad."

"Jacob…" Leah murmured uncertainly. "Jacob… I was there… it was _bad_."

"Compared to Edward's?" I laughed, completely ignoring Sam shaking like an earthquake on the other couch. "Compared to what Edward had to go through, I think Sammy's being a bit of a bitch right now."

"Jacob!" Kim gasped.

"Now, that's enough!" Jared snapped.

"You… you son of a bitch." Sam growled on the other couch, I could see the anger bubbling over and the violence that was filling his eyes. However, this violence wasn't just any violence. It was the demon.

I continued pushing him. "It sure is a shame that your mother never helped you out. What does that say about her? Something tells me she doesn't love you─"

"Jacob, shut up!" Leah cried out in astonishment. "Please! I don't like seeing you like this! _Please_!"

It hurt to see Leah beg like that, but I had to keep going. I can't stop. I need to get the demon out completely, even if that means jeopardizing my relationship. "No wonder Billy feels so sorry for you. You have no family who truly loves you."

Leah was about to get up, but Sam got up first. In one quick stride, he crossed the room and took me by the shirt.

"Sam!" Jared shouted, about to walk towards him. But I stopped him.

"No, leave him," I smirked. "I can handle myself."

"What'd you say?" Sam seethed through his teeth. Except, the voice just wasn't his. The look in his eyes weren't his either. In fact, his eyes were… glowing. Seriously, they were glowing, making his brown eyes illuminate into mine. Apparently Leah saw this too, because she jumped up and shrieked loudly. Her loud scream caused Nessie to jump up out of her sleep in shock. She looked at me in alarm, but as she took in the situation, she screamed too.

"Jacob!" she squealed, reaching towards me.

"Don't come any closer!" I ordered sternly, making her stop. She got off the couch and stood by Leah shaking. I have a lot of explaining to do…

"Jacob Black," Sam snarled, pulling me out of my reverie, "you have a lot of nerve messing with me!"

I smiled up at him, all the while fighting the fear that was turning my stomach. I need to end this before I push him _too _far. "What's your mom's name?"

"Charlotte!" he snarled.

"What's your dad's name?"

"Devin!"

What's your name?"

"Lucifer─" he cut short and stared at me in absolute shock. _Gotcha_.

"Lucifer?" I smiled. "Nice to meet you Lucifer. It's sucks to know that you're name is Lucifer. Wasn't that the devil's name? Man, your mom must _really_ hate you."

"Screw you!" he said in a creepy demonic voice. Sam was no longer there. There the demon stood, glaring down at me with glowing eyes and teeth that look like daggers. No one in the room moved. In the corner of my eye, I could see Jared and Kim staring wide-eyed in fear, while Leah was tucking Nessie behind her.

"Lucifer… Can I call you Luke?" I grinned wider. "Lucifer is such a long name!"

"You will call me Lucifer." he snapped. "Just as I will call you Jacob."

"What's your mom's name again? I think I fucked her last night. But she didn't get the chance to tell me her name, seeing that the only name she was chanting was mine."

Lucifer glared at me and growled a animal-like growl that sent chills up my spine. "You think you can fool me, boy? I'll eat you for dinner."

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. I think I'm a little too stringy for taste."

"That's it." he muttered, balling up his fists. I looked down at his fists and gasped as I realized that they've turned into razor-sharp claws. He took one of his clawed fists and shot it back as if he was about to punch me. However, before he could, I stopped smiling and said:

"Get out."

He paused and looked down at me in confusion. "Pardon?"

I straightened up and met his gaze powerfully. "I said get the hell out of my friend's body, you sick demon."

_Ephraim, I need you_, I thought while holding his gaze. Almost immediately Ephraim's presence made me feel light as a feather.

"_You truly know a thing or two about making demons angry_," he said in approval. _"He's a strong demon, so be careful. Surprise him. Say or do something that will make the old Sam realize what's happening so that he can fight back."_

"I can't do this," I growled at Lucifer. "I can't have you consistently taking over Sam. He has a life, you know. He has a wife who loves him. He has a pack who needs him. Believe it or not, we _are_ his family. And as his adoptive brother, I command you to get the hell out of his body."

Lucifer just laughed, but I could see the unsettlement in his eyes. "That boy cannot hear you─"

"Yes he can. That _man_ has ears like a hawk. He could hear a pen drop a mile away."

"And you would know this.... how?" Lucifer sad, clearly amused.

"Because, _Lucifer_, he's my _brother_. I've known him all my life. So, I would know things about him that you clearly don't. You wanna know what else I know?"

"What?"

"I know that ever since he's phased into a werewolf, all you've been doing is making things harder for him. I know that I'm not gonna give up until he overcomes you. And I know that Emily's not gonna leave him."

That clearly shocked him out of his cocky state. "Huh?"

"You heard me, demon. Emily loves Sam. The only thing standing between those two is you. So if Sam wants his woman back, he's gonna have to get rid of you first."

"That's─" Lucifer stopped short and gagged. He let go of me immediately and stumbled around. He started shaking his head rapidly and growling in a different language, a language I couldn't understand. Suddenly, one of his eyes stopped glowing. In a choked off voice, he shouted, "Get out of my head!"

He continued to spaz around until both of his eyes stopped glowing, and his claws receded, and his teeth became normal again. Sam stood there, shaking in fear and confusion. He looked up at me as tears ran down his face. He looked horrified.

"J-Jacob!" he cried out. "What the h-h-hell was that?"

I sighed and met his fear-filled gaze. "Sam, there's a demon that's plaguing your alternate personality. I know it's hard to explain, but just think of it as rabies, except soul-deep."

His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He hugged himself and leaned his forehead against the floor, gasping for air. Worried, I got up and sat by him. I put my arms around him and whispered, "It's gonna be okay." repeatedly.

This is serious. It only makes me wonder who else in the pack is infected…

"_You don't want to know the answer to that…" _ Ephraim whispered while fading into the background.

Suddenly, I thought of Seth, and an uneasy feeling made me nauseated.

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**~Spooky, huh? I know it's getting confusing again, but I'm just setting this up for my next story (which is the sequel to this one). We've only got a couple more chapters to go, folks! And expect more cliffhangers, because it sure is fun to torture you guys ;) **


	28. Houston, We Have A Problem

**~So here's the deal, folks. The story's coming to close, and I'm sorry. There's gonna be another story, a sequel to this one, but I need a little time. The next story is basically gonna be about Seth's adaption, the bi-polar sickness thing (Lucifer!), and, of course, Blackwater! (Don't worry; this chapter isn't the last one, but its close!) If you have any suggestions, you can PM me or email me at . Please R&R!**

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Houston, We Have A Problem

**Edward's POV**

Seth and I walked into Jared's house, both of us happy to know that mostly everyone went home. I was still a little shaky after what happened with Seth when two things hit me. One: the atmosphere was thick with a scent I've never smelt before. And two: everyone looked spooked. And I mean _really_ spooked.

Jared and Kim were cowering in the corner. Leah was trying to calm down Nessie, all while trying to calm herself down. Jacob was holding someone who was sobbing loudly. It took me a moment to realize that he was holding Sam.

Beside me, I felt Seth stiffen. _Am I the only one who smells that?_, he asked mentally. _It smells… thick and really bad…_

I cleared my throat, hoping to clear out the fear that was bottling in my stomach. "What happened?"

Leah looked up at me with horror-struck eyes and shook her head. "Ask Jacob," she whispered hoarsely. "I'm just as confused as you are."

"Jacob?" I whispered, the fear getting the best of me. I've never felt this way before. I've been afraid, but there's something about this smell that's making me edgy.

Jacob slowly looked up and smiled sheepishly. "Can we talk about this later? There is a little too much excitement in the air and I'm trying to get Sam to calm down─"

Jacob's sentence broke off as a loud growl escaped from Sam's chest. The growl was animal-like, but it did not sound like a wolf growl. It sounded… otherworldly…

"Jacob!" Sam yelped through his growling fits. I gasped at the sound of his voice. It was high-pitched with fear, but there was another voice I heard. A voice a lot deeper and demon-like. I felt weak in the knees as nausea claimed me. "Help me!"

"Sam?!" Seth gasped in fear. He took a step back and shuddered.

Sam looked at Seth and stopped shaking. For a moment, all was silent. It was almost as if everyone's thoughts froze in fear. Even the night itself went silent. And then, my whole world exploded.

In one split second, Sam's eyes started to glow, his fingertips turned into claws, and, as he opened his mouth and let out a snarl, his teeth went razor sharp. His pupils turned into those of a cat's, slit-like and really scary. Before Jacob could react, Sam ripped out of Jacob's embrace and flew across the room. I didn't even have time to blink before he was tackling Seth to the floor and lashing at his face.

"Seth!" I yelped. I tackled Sam, shoving us into a small desk with a vase on it. The vase exploded against Sam's back as he slammed into the wall. He landed in a crouch and looked down at me with a feral smile.

"Bloodsucker." he whispered dangerously, except, the voice wasn't Sam's. I tried to get into his head, but I was blocked by some sort of wall. A very painful wall. A wall that seemed to send electric waves through my body.

I screamed in agony and crumpled into a ball. I covered my ears and tried to block out the mental wall that was pushing me, but it was as if he was throwing the wall at me. My whole world burst into flames as I screamed and hollered. I tried to make myself to stop, but the pain was too much. This pain was worse than when I was changing into vampire.

Somewhere outside the flames, I heard Nessie screaming.

**Jacob's POV**

I didn't even have time to blink before Edward was on the floor and screaming loudly. It was the most blood-curdling scream I have ever heard. He was curled into a ball and rocking back and forth with his hands covering his ears. His eyes were squeezed shut and his face was paler than usual, which was saying something.

Sam was about to stride towards Edward, but he was met with Seth's fist. Sam flew into the wall again, harder this time, and fell hard on his ass. Seth landed on top of him and started punching his face.

Without thinking, I ran and pulled Seth off of Sam while Jared tried to hold Sam down. Leah pulled her arms over Reneesme in a protective shield and dragged Reneesme to the door. However, before she could make it, Sam broke out of Jared's hold and charged at Leah, making all three of them fly into the door. Nessie's head hit the doorknob hard as she fell to the floor with a loud _thump_. Sam landed on top of Leah with a smile on his face.

Sam grabbed Leah by the hair and punched her with the other, igniting an anger in me that I've never felt before. Seth forgotten, I dropped him and kicked Sam off of Leah. However, that's when I remember that I had stitches. Because that's when I felt a terrible ripping that lit a pain so horrible that I collapsed to the ground. The stitches across my chest ripped. And before I knew it, I blacked out.

**Jared's POV**

I watched Jacob fall to the ground with a single cry before being punched in the back by Sam. I whipped around and stopped Sam's next punch with my fist. He looked down at me while laughing manically. But his laughing cut short as Seth tackled him yet again. I swear to God, if we don't stop tackling each other, I'm not gonna have a living room anymore.

Seth was about to punch Sam again, but Sam head-butted him and kneed him in the groin, knocking the wind out of him.

"Leah!" I snapped. "Get the phone and call _everyone_!" As she reached for the phone, I ran over and drop-kicked Sam.

**Carlisle's POV**

Esme and I sat by the fireplace and cuddled sweetly. She giggled as I whispered sweet-nothings into her ear and kissed her neck. It was so nice to finally be alone with my wife without worrying. However, my joy was cut short as my phone rang. Dammit it all to hell!

Esme looked up at me with sad eyes, but nodded. I sighed deeply and fished my phone out of my pocket. I considered just ignoring it, but Leah was the one who was calling and I didn't want to be chewed out later.

"Hello?" I asked as I answered the phone.

"Carlisle!" Leah shouted in exasperation and panic. "Help! I need you to come down here NOW!"

I straightened up, suddenly serious. "What's going on? And what's all that noise I hear in the background?"

"NO TIME!" she gasped. "It's Sam! It's hard to explain, but long story short, there's a demon that's possessing him and he's trying to kill everyone! COME DOWN HERE NOW!!!"

**Quil's POV**

When Leah called, I didn't have to think before I was off my couch and flying down the street in panic. Sam's possessed? What?! When was someone gonna explain this to me? Is that why he's been acting so evil lately? Holy hell.

I reached Jared's house at the exact same time Brady did. I was about to greet him, but the sounds coming from the house didn't sound good at all. So we ran up the steps and pulled the door open to find…

WHAT THE HELL?!?!

**Brady's POV**

I feel like I've been pushed into the Twilight Zone or something. On the outside, the night's crisp and clear and beautiful. In Jared's house? It's like a hell-hole, Quileute style.

Edward's on the floor screaming his head off. Kim is bawling in the far corner. Reneesme's head is bleeding, but that's not stopping her from blaring at the top of her lungs. Jacob's unconscious. And Leah, Jared, and Seth are all tackling Sam. Except, that's not Sam.

It's some creature who's taking a big bite out of Leah's shoulder. Before anything could go any farther, I rushed over and yanked Sam off of Leah. I got Sam in a choke hold as Quil got Seth in a tight embrace. Seth looked just as weird as Sam.

His eyes were glowing red, his teeth were sharp as knives with is fangs exposed, and he was snarling loudly.

Jared held down Sam's legs as I choked off his air supply. But instead of choking him, I changed my position into a sleeper-hold. And, before you know it, Sam's asleep.

**Leah's POV**

The pain that exploded in my shoulder was excruciating. What kind of man _bites_ another woman?! That just wasn't fair! I clenched my teeth to prevent myself from growling and looked up at Seth, whom was still struggling with Quil.

"Seth!" I snapped. He looked down at me, first with anger. But as my gaze held his, he slowly calmed down. His eyes went back to normal and his fangs receded. He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.

Beside me, Edward stopped screaming. He was still curled into a ball, and he was still shaking, but he was no longer screaming. I put my hand on his back and started rubbing it back and forth. I whispered empty promises into his ears and tried to calm him down.

I don't know what Sam did to Edward, but it fucked him up.

**Carlisle's POV**

I walked into Jared's house and almost gagged at the thick smell. I had no idea what it was, but it did _not_ smell right. Nevertheless, the site of the scene was ten-times worse than the smell.

There were dents in the walls, everything was smashed, and just about everyone was covered in blood. The only people who managed to make it without a scratch was Kim and Brady. Sam was unconscious on the couch, covered in bruises and scars, while Jacob was on the other couch bleeding profusely out of his chest─

"God DAMMIT!" I snarled as I rushed to his side. "Fucking idiot! What the hell happened?!"

Jared, whom was sitting on the edge of the couch, chuckled nervously. "Well… you see…"

As I stitched Jacob up again, Jared explained to me everything that happened.

**Jacob's POV**

I woke up to the sound of yelling and screaming, but not the screaming I went unconscious to. The screaming I heard sounded like someone was arguing. And boy did they sound pissed. It took me a moment to realize that the pissed off person I was hearing was Quil.

I opened my eyes and saw Quil facing off with Leah about something. Nessie and Reneesme were sitting against the couch I was lying on, both of them shaking. Brady was whispering something to Seth, making Seth sigh deeply. Jared was at the corner of the room holding Kim and trying to make her stop crying. Carlisle was hunched over my body with his stethoscope; however, he didn't look happy at all. Sam was knocked out sleep on the other couch.

I sighed, and regretted it instantly. Pain racked my chest, making me gasp. I had to bite my lip in order to stop the yelp that was in my throat. Carlisle looked down at me severely and shook his head.

"Why, in God's name, did you push yourself like that? You could of killed yourself. Do you know how much blood you lost?" he murmured.

"Carlisle," I gasped, "I'm the pack leader. I can't just sit around and watch my pack members fight amongst themselves. Especially when one of them doesn't know his own strength. And _especially_ if the other one is being possessed.

"Look who finally graced as with his presence!" Quil spat as he glared at me. I flinched, wincing at the pain, and scowled up at him.

"What the hell did I do?"

"What did you do? How about the fact that you didn't warn us about Sam!" he shouted.

"What was I supposed to say?" I snapped.

"How about warning us about Ephraim. Or about Lucifer. Or about _everything you knew!"_

"Keep your voice _down_, Quil." Carlisle warned. "Don't make me ask again."

Quil glowered at Carlisle before turning in annoyance. "He could of told us, that's all I'm saying."

"How?!" I yelled, despite the anger on Carlisle's face. "I didn't know how dangerous he was! Okay, maybe I should of told you about Ephraim, but when did I have the chance? I was too busy making sure everything was right. I actually forgot about Ephraim until a couple hours ago. And this whole Lucifer business is just as much as a surprise to me as it is to you. So don't get all snippy with me, Quil, because I'm not in the mood."

"Please," Nessie whimpered. "Please stop fighting. Right now, we need to find some way to contain whatever the heck is contaminating Sammy. He's dangerous, and the scent he gives off just isn't right."

"She's right," Jared said softly. "We have bigger fish to fry. Right now, there are two people who should be on our minds: Seth and Sam."

"And Edward." I added quickly.

"Why me?" Edward and Seth said at the same time, making me snicker.

"Because," Jared continued, "Seth, you need to learn how to control yourself. And telling by the way you look when you're angry, you are a priority."

"Yeah, you look like Sam when you're angry…" Kim whimpered through her tears.

"And Edward," Jared said, "we need to know why you reacted the way you did."

"Yeah, what happened?" Leah wondered out loud.

Edward sat up tiredly and sighed deeply. "I don't even know. One moment, I'm trying to get into his head. The next, I feel this excruciating pain. It felt like someone set me on fire."

"Trying to read a demon's thoughts isn't the wisest thing to do, son." Carlisle whispered. "It's like Alice's power. When you don't know what you're using your power on, you won't get any results."

"Except, with Alice, she doesn't experience any pain with he failed visions. She just gets irritated." Seth chuckled.

"Do you know if there's anybody else who's infected with any other demon?" Brady asked me. I was about to say no, but suddenly, I felt Ephraim's presence. Except, he didn't say anything. I _felt_ what he was about to say. And before I could think, I answered Brady's question through the voice of Ephraim:

"Yes." I whispered. "Yes there is."

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**OhmyGod that was epic. Hell, I even scared myself. And did anybody notice… FAST UPDATE! HELL YEAH! Anyways, this is NOT the last chapter, don't worry. But, as I said before, the story's ending. And I will warn you, I'm thinking about ending this story with a MAJOR cliffhanger, just to make you guys chew your fingernails. Lol **


	29. Amid the Otherworld

**~Quick Update! Ha! I'm getting better at this! Anyways, folks, this story is just getting **_**too**_** good. I honestly don't wanna end it. But I will. And it's sad. I feel all teary eyed! This may be either the last chapter or the second to last chapter. But it will definitely be nice and cliffy, just for you! Thanks for sticking around for as long as you did! I love you all! And the sequel will probably be up either over Spring Break, or somewhere near the middle of April! **

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Amid the Otherworld

**Edward's POV**

I lied on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Beside me, Bella was playing with my hair while staring at me, waiting for me to say something. But she knew I wasn't gonna say a word. She knew why. She knew Sam screwed my insides into mush. She knew how badly I was hurt.

When Sam set my world on fire, I got a brief look into his head. It was when he hitting Leah. The man, no. The _demon_'s thoughts were filled with pure hatred. I saw the realm in which it lied dormant. The realm filled with cold flames and demon friends.

And there were all types of demons. Demons who looked like demented giraffes. Demons who looked like overgrown lizards. There were even demons who looked like the 21st century version of the devil. But three demons stood out.

One who looked like a demented Sam. One who looked like a demented Seth. And one who looked like a demented Carlisle.

Sam's demon's name is Lucifer. But what about Seth? Did the vampire venom bring the demon out in him? And is there a demon sleeping in Carlisle's head? What does that say about me? About vampires as a whole?

I know one thing, and I know one thing for sure: Things are about to get interestingly confusing.

**Carlisle's POV**

I sat on the floor beside Jared's couch, the one Jacob was sleeping on. I looked up at the ceiling and followed the cracks with my eyes, trying as best I could to ignore the meeting between the wolf pack. Everyone's here, including Emily , Rachel, and Sue, and everyone's talking about what they're gonna do with Sam. Honestly, at the moment, I just did not care. Because my thoughts were on Edward.

He didn't even look at me. I could tell he was ignoring me, and he only did that when he found out something important that meant bad news. Ugh, I hate when he does this─

"Carlisle?" I heard Paul say irritably. "You're just as in this conversation as everybody else, remember? You're the representative for the Cullens? Can you _not_ doze off as if this topic is unimportant?"

I looked back at the pack wearily and nodded slightly. "Sorry about that…"

"What's up with you?" Embry said, irritation also lacing his voice. "Do you know something?"

"If so, then please speak up." Billy said softly. It's amazing how calm Billy can stay. I used to be that way before my world started exploding.

"No, it's nothing─" I began.

"Carlisle," Rachel interrupted, just as pissed as everybody else, "please. Let's not play any games, here. There's obviously something bothering you. Right now, we need everybody to─"

"I said _I don't know!_" I snarled a little too harshly. Everyone flinched at my tone, and many of them looked away. A little more calmly, I said, "If I knew something, I would tell you."

"Then what's wrong with you?" Quil asked carefully.

I sighed deeply and looked back at the ceiling. "Edward's hiding something. He won't tell me what."

Quil sighed dramatically and cussed under his breath. "Oh c'mon! No more _secrets!_ I just wanna know how to fix this problem so that I could go home!"

"Do you think it's possible that you could call Edward?" Billy asked. "Maybe you could try to convince him…?"

I sighed and nodded absentmindedly, too distracted by the terrible feeling in my head. I fished my phone out of my pocket and dialed Edward's number. Part of me didn't want him to answer at all, but I pushed that side down quickly.

The phone rang a few times before Edward picked up. "Hello?"

"Edward? We need to talk." I said flatly. "No bullshit. No diversions. Just give me a straight answer."

"Carlisle─" he began.

"Edward," I interrupted, "I'm not in the mood. Now is not the time for bickering."

"Can't I just think about this first?" he sighed on the other line. I sighed with him.

"No. The wolf pack wants to know what you're hiding. Edward, we need you right now. You can think about it. I'm not asking you to come down here and preach about it. I'm just asking for what you know so far."

"Um…" he paused on the other line for a long time, and I was starting to think he hung up, but then he sighed deeply. "Put me on speaker phone."

I clicked the speaker phone button and held the phone out so that everyone could hear. "You're on speaker phone." I called.

He sighed again before beginning. "I saw a quick glimpse of… um… _Lucifer's_ mindset, and it wasn't pretty."

"What was he thinking about?" Jared wondered aloud.

"Well…" he hesitated. "It wasn't really his _thoughts_. It was a… memory of some sort."

"A memory of Sam?" Leah asked warily.

"No, no… I memory of _Lucifer. _Of where he used to… live, I guess."

"Live?" I trembled with fear. "Where'd he live?"

"I-I don't even know!" he sounded exasperated.

"Alright, alright, settle down," Billy said softly. "Just calm down and tell us exactly _what_ you saw. Take your time. I can tell it hurts to think about it."

"Thanks, Billy. And it does," he admitted on the phone. "It… It hurts a lot. It makes my head hurt and it makes me feel all sweaty and stuff."

"Can vampires even _feel_ sweaty? Is that even normal?" Seth asked.

As chills ran up my spine, I whimpered a brief, "No."

"Anyways," Edward continued. "Lucifer was standing around with a whole bunch of other demons in a place that… was filled with cold fire."

"_Cold_ fire?" I inquired. "How'd you know it was cold?"

"I-I don't know… I-I-I just f-felt it… And it hurt… A lot…" he stammered.

"I don't like the way he's sounding, Carlisle." Billy murmured.

"Me neither," I whispered to Billy before turning back to the phone. "Edward… Are you alright?"

"I've… been better." he mumbled. "But um… anyways… it was almost like a demon tea party. Everyone was laughing and having fun, God help us. But um… Lucifer was there… And um…"

"Edward Anthony Masen Cullen, if you say 'um' one more time, I'm gonna jump through this phone and beat you." I laughed.

He laughed nervously on the other line. "Sorry. Please don't beat me, dad. I don't think I can handle it."

"Dumbass." Leah giggled.

"Anyways," Paul interrupted, clearly aggravated, "keep going."

"Um─ oh whoops! Sorry 'bout that, Carl." he snickered on the phone.

"Don't call me that." I pinched the bridge of my nose and stifled a laugh.

"_Anyways_," he continued, "all the demons looked really scary… But there were three of them that stood out… Three of them I recognized as people I actually knew… One of them being Sam/Lucifer."

"Who were the other two? And _stop_ stalling! You're killing me!" Collin wailed.

"Alright, alright!" Edward sighed. "The other two… were Seth and Carlisle."

No one in the room moved. Everyone's heart skipped a beat, and if I were human, my heart would of stopped. Seth looked absolutely horrified, and I couldn't help but wonder if my expression mirrored his.

_Oh dear God…_

**Jacob's POV**

As I slept, I dreamed of cotton candy fields and ice cream buildings. I know, I don't get it either. Out of all the things to dream about in a time like this, I dream of Candyland. Oh well.

I ran through the fluffy pink fields and dove face first, mouth open, into the cotton candy ground. As lied there, chewing happily on cherry cotton candy, I thought about Ephraim. One moment he's here giving me info, the next, he's gone. It's getting quite annoying, if you ask me.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that." a deep voice chuckled from behind me. I bent my head back and almost choked on my cotton candy. There, standing right above me, was Ephraim Black. I knew it was him from a photo that Billy keeps in his drawer. His presence made my heart jump in both fear and excitement. His body exhaled power. His very existence made my head dizzy. Staring into his calm but powerful almost black eyes brought chills up my spine.

I sat up, coughing in the process, and swallowed the under-chewed cotton candy. I turned around and grinned up at Ephraim clumsily and laughed. "You can read my thoughts?"

He cocked his head to the side and put on a lazy smile. "Jacob, I am part of your soul. I can _always_ hear your thoughts."

"That's not fair," I fake pouted. "I feel like I'm being spied on."

Ephraim through his head back and laughed, a laugh that rang like music in my ears. When he calmed down some, he grinned down at me. He reminded me of Billy. "My son, _life_ isn't fair. If it makes you feel better, I try not to spy on the _really_ private thoughts you hear at night."

"Are you mocking me?" I growled as my face heated. "'Cuz it's not funny."

"Well," he wiggled his eyebrows, "sucks to be you!"

In a fit of rage, I sprang up. He laughed and ran away from me as I chased after him. We ran through the candy fields, through the marshmallow flowers and the peppermint fireflies, and soon both of us were laughing our butts off.

I tackled him to the ground and we wrestled, squashing marshmallows that grew back automatically. In the end, I pinned him down, laughing my ass off, and grinned down at him playfully.

"Did the legendary Ephraim get his ass whooped by a newbie? Oh. My. God. What's the world coming to?"

"Oh please," he snorted, "I was going easy on you."

I got off of him and lied down next to him. I looked up at the orange sky and sighed happily. If anything, I wanted to stay like this forever. Then a thought hit me.

"Where am I?" I asked. "I usually don't come up with such fancy and creative worlds like this. I feel like I'm in heaven… Am I dead?!"

Ephraim laughed once before winking at me. "Do you _really_ want to know?"

I nodded.

He looked back up at the sky and smiled. "Physically, no you're not dead. However, Spirit Men have the ability to leave their bodies as roaming spirits in a world simply called the Amid World."

"Amid world?"

"It's the place between the universe in which you live in and the Otherworld." he said softly.

"By otherworld… do you mean the _afterlife?_" I gulped. But he just laughed.

"Yes. But don't worry, young lad. You're hopefully not gonna go there anytime soon. However…" he added gravely. "You're friends might be well on their way to the Otherworld."

I sat up quickly and looked down at him in shock. "W-What?!"

He sat up too, his smile gone, and looked at me with sad eyes. "Would you like for me to explain to you what exactly is going on?"

"Yes!" I nodded frantically.

He sighed once before beginning. "The demon that has taken over Sam's alternate soul came from this very world. The Amid World. You see, both demons and angels originally come from the Otherworld. Both creatures can both come into the Amid World very easily. Angels come into this world to slay the demons before the demons take anyone's souls. The demons come here for lunch."

"Lucifer…" I murmured. "Lucifer came into this world, didn't he?"

"Yes," he nodded. "He came here. Now, sometimes, demons like Lucifer will instead disguise themselves as allies to the visiting souls. Although, most of the time, souls recognize evil and don't fall for its trick. But sometimes, like in Sam's case, they get too naïve."

"W-Wait," I stuttered. "When did Sam come here?"

"When he was young. Most of the time, human souls come here when they dream. Each human has his/her own guardian angel to make sure nothing happens. However, when Sam was young, he dreamed of this place not out of habit, but out of escape from the world."

"When he came," he continued, "he pushed his guardian angel away absentmindedly. So when Lucifer strolled around, and even though Sam knew he was evil, he welcomed him into his life."

"What did Lucifer promise?"

Ephraim sighed long and deep. "He promised to take away the pain…"

"Is that what happens with all unhappy kids?" I whispered.

"No. Only those whom give up on life. Only kids who _truly_ want to die. Only kids who want death so badly, it goes soul-deep."

I shuddered and hugged myself. "So that's what happened? Sam wanted a death wish?"

"Sadly, yes. I don't know _what_ made him so unhappy that it went _soul-_deep, but it happened. And since Lucifer has grown and adapted to Sam, he knows all the ways to disarm him. Lucifer just waited until the right moment to do it…"

"What's this going to do to the rest of the pack? And is there somebody else who's sick?"

I couldn't help but notice the hesitation in his eyes. He tried to look away, but it was too late. "Ephraim?" I asked again.

"Jacob… It's Seth." Ephraim breathed.

I swear I felt my heart stop for several moments before I truly grasped what he was saying. "Y-Y-You mean…? Seth? How?!"

Without looking at me, he said, "When the Alpha get's 'sick' with this demon, it tragically effects everybody else. The presence of Lucifer… made the angels think Sam was damned probably. So the angels weren't as close to you as usual. So when Seth was bitten…"

"His angel left…" I whimpered. "Is that what happens with vampires? Is that what everybody means by 'damned'?"

"Yes. When there is a demon present in your body, whether it shows itself or not, you are damned. However, and this _rarely_ happens, a demon won't attach itself to a vampire. For example, Bella's still pure."

That made me jerk in surprise. I whipped my head and looked at him with my mouth gaping. "Bella's… not damned yet?"

"No. But that doesn't mean it's not gonna happen. _Rarely_, demons may find themselves in the earth universe. Even though it's extremely unlikely, if it were to ever happen Bella would be a target."

"How come… she's safe?" I asked.

"Simply out of luck. When humans start to change into vampires, and this happened with Seth, their souls come to the Amid world and linger in pain. And then, a demon will snatch your soul and attach itself."

"That's what causes extreme, uncontrollable thirst?" I asked.

"Yes," he nodded, "That's why Bella's thirst problem is at a bare minimum. She's able to control it. However, Seth wasn't so lucky."

"So… does that mean Sam and Seth are going to hell?"

"At this point and time? Yes, yes they're going to hell…"

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**~Dun, dun, dun! Okay, so I decided NOT to make this the last chapter (you're **_**so**_** lucky) simply because I feel like I should end this on a conclusive, but still very cliffy note. Maybe… I'll wait a couple more chapters! I'm just way too in love with this story! And folks, Blackwater is coming up next (cheering in the background) and you'll absolutely love it!**


	30. The End?

**~Gomenesai! (That's "I'm sorry" in Japanese!) It's spring break, which means I'm extra lazy this week. Anyways… okay, I know I've said this, like, a gazillion times, but… this story has to end! And, my fellow minions, this is indeed the **_**last**_** chapter for this part of the story *sobs dramatically*. So, I think I should end this story on a light note and with some much needed Blackwater! **

**Disclaimer – I haven't said this in a while, so… I don't own these characters!!!**

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The End?

**Leah's POV**

I watched Jacob sleep and smiled to myself. He looked so peaceful when he slept. It's amazing how calm he could get in serious moments. I wonder what he's dreaming about…

I took his face into my hand. He curled towards my hand and smiled lazily, mumbling incoherent words. At the end of his gibberish sentence, he murmured my name happily before snoring softly again. I bit my lip and fought the urge to kiss him, knowing that it would wake him up. I was about to lean down and lay my head against his, but someone, annoyingly, snapped impatiently behind me.

I turned around hesitantly before facing Rachel with a scowl on my face. Okay, even though I'm madly, head-over-heels in love with Jacob, that doesn't mean I have to like his sister. Ugh. And it didn't help the fact that she was married to Paul of all people. Ew, ew, _ew_.

"Can you stop molesting my brother's face and help me with the dishes?" she spat.

_You disrespectful little bitch_. Despite my harsh thoughts, I smiled up at her. "Sure."

She was obviously caught off guard by my niceness, to my enjoyment, and it was apparent that she had a very rude comeback just waiting for me. What now, bitch?

Gingerly, I took my hand from under his cheek and kissed his forehead. He sighed happily again before snoring. With a smile on my face, I followed Rachel into the kitchen and got started on the dishes. We stood there washing dishes silently for an awkward couple of minutes before she sighed heavily and turned towards me.

"Why do you like him?" she asked suddenly.

I almost dropped the white bowl I was holding in shock. What kind of question is that? "Why do you like Paul?" I countered while scrubbing the left over lasagna off the sides of the bowl.

"I'm serious Leah," she said flatly. "Why do you like him? Not even a month ago, you hated his guts and you acted like a total bitch towards him. Now? Now, you're kissing his forehead and smiling at him as if he some gift from God. I don't get you. Do you just like him because he's safe? Or do you like him because you need a distraction from Sam?"

I stood there silently, scrubbing a blue plate that had already been scrubbed a million times. I felt her fidgeting beside me in impatience, and I let her. I was in no hurry to answer her stupid questions. Finally, as I finished the last bowl, I sighed and faced her. She was glaring at me and her mouth was twisted into an ugly frown. Even though their mother was the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, and the nicest, those traits obviously didn't pass down to her first born daughter.

"The answer to your question," I whispered, "is _neither_. I don't _like_ your brother. I _love_ your brother. _Love_ is not some distraction, nor is it safe. It's painful and scary, but I take the fear. You wanna know why? It's because your brother is worth it. The reason why I'm so different nowadays is because I've had a wakeup call. A serious wakeup call. So stop asking stupid ass questions."

I put the bowl on the drying rack and turned to leave. But I stopped short when I saw Jacob standing there with a lop-sided grin on his face. Rachel turned around too, and gasped in horror.

"Jacob! You're not supposed to be standing up! You're going to hurt yourself!" She rushed to his side and try to push him out of the kitchen, but failed miserably. Jacob just grinned down at her with teasing eyes.

"Are you serious, sis? Is that the best you've got?" he laughed. "Looks like I need to teach you a thing or two about strength!"

Rachel looked up at him and scoffed. "Oh please. The only thing you'll be able to teach me is how to be mentally retarded without anybody knowing."

"Jake," I said softly, "you shouldn't be out of bed. The last time you tried to be active, you split your wound open."

Jacob looked back at me, with eyes lit up like fire, and smiled widely. "I'm sorry. It's just… well, I heard your conversation with Rachel and I was curious."

"How much did you hear?" Rachel said curiously. "And why couldn't you just stay in the living room and listen. You have dog hearing, don't you?"

"I know, I know! Sheesh! I have dog hearing. Whoop-de-doo. However, when you're injured, your hearing becomes a little impaired─"

"Bullshit!" I laughed out loud. "You just wanted to sneak up on me during one of my confessions of love like you did the _last_ time!"

He put his hands up in defense and smiled. "Guilty."

"Wait, what?! What happened the _last_ time?" Rachel cried out in frustration.

"You know, Leah," Jacob purred sexily, "I think we need a little _alone_ time. How about we kick Rachel out?"

"Like hell you can!" she sneered. Jacob grinned goofily at her before looking back at me with that sexy look in his eyes.

"I was kinda hoping she'd say that." he hummed.

He strode towards me and pinned me against the counter. Okay, I know this is the second time I've been hit on in a kitchen (God help me), but with Jacob it's different. And a whole lot sexier.

He bent down, closing any space between us, and caught my lips with his in a passionate kiss that sent a herd of butterflies into my stomach. I think I heard Rachel cursing like a sailor, but I wasn't paying any attention whatsoever.

We stayed like that for God knows how long. I was so lost in the electric kiss that, when night fell, I was really surprised. I broke the kiss and gasped for air. He was gasping too, but he was grinning down at me as if he didn't have a trouble in the world.

When I finally caught my breath, I sighed. "Oh my. How long have we been here?"

"Um… I have no idea. I think we've been standing here for hours." he laughed.

"Wow," I said, truly amazed. "You'd think a make-out session would end in seriously hot sex, but I guess not."

"Ya think?" he laughed before his gaze turned serious. He gazed into my eyes, capturing my attention yet again. I swear on my father's grave, this man really knows how to capture a woman's attention.

I lifted my hand and took his cheek into my palm. "I guess I know the difference between lust and love." I murmured. "I could be satisfied with just hugging you for the night without the slightest intention of going any farther..."

He chuckled as he bent down to my ear. "Making love and having sex are two different things. You have sex when you feel like it. But you make love when the time is right. You make love with the right person, too. And you'll know when the right person comes along…"

I turned my head towards him and grinned. "Jacob Black, are you hitting on me?"

He grinned goofily and winked at me. "Sure, sure, if that's what you think."

There was something about his presence that made my heart thump loud. I felt attuned to him, almost as if I Imprinted on him. However, I could tell that there was something seriously bothering him.

"What's wrong, hot stuff? Something's bothering you, and I know it, so don't try to lie about it."

He looked away, his mouth set into a hard line, and grimaced. "I had a talk with Ephraim in my sleep… He… told me about what's going on… And about what's gonna happen to Seth and Sam…"

I tilted my head to the side in curiosity. "Is something bad going to happen?"

He stared at the floor for a moment before returning his gaze to mine. "I'll tell you everything he told me… but promise me that you'll let _me_ tell the rest of the pack."

As I nodded, he sighed. And then, he told me the news. And as he told me everything, I felt my fit of bliss die down and panic take its place.

**Quil's POV**

It really pisses me off how Jacob keeps hiding things from the pack. Was I not behind him when he was running for the Alpha position? Did I not stand by his side when he told me his feelings about Leah? Why in the hell was he _hiding_ things? He should have told us about Ephraim. It really sucks when _Leah_ is the one telling you your best friend's secrets.

I slumped down onto my bed and sighed heavily. No sooner did I finally get comfortable did my phone start ringing. Reluctantly, I fished it out of my pocket and answered it.

"Hello?" I said, not hiding my irritation.

"Quil!" Embry sighed on the other line. "Oh dear God, I thought you wasn't gonna answer!"

"Just cut to the chase, because I'm not in a good mood." I said flatly.

Embry sighed before speaking. "Jacob called a meeting. He said he's ready to tell us everything he knows…. _everything_."

I sat up and scowled at my blue covers. "Well it's about time! What took that asshole so long?"

"I'm sure he has a good reason for not telling us about what's going on." Embry said before hanging up. I snapped my phone shut before sighing again. _He better have a good excuse…_

**Jacob's POV**

I stared at everyone's shocked faces as I finished explaining everything. Everyone was in Jared's house, all of us crowding his living room yet again. Sam was still unconscious on the other couch, with me and Leah on this couch.

I just got done explaining my dream, Ephraim's presence, _everything_, and I was exhausted. I wanted to pass out again, just for the sake of getting more rest, but the tension in the room was stronger. The last thing I just said was that Seth and Sam were going to hell. And now, everyone was looking at me as if I just told them the end of the world was coming in 24 hours.

Beside me, Leah quivered with fear and was eyeing Seth through tears. I put my arms around her and cradled her, knowing that it was the best I could do.

Billy was the first to speak. "What do we do? Is there any way we could… save them?"

"No," I said gravely, "not at the moment. Maybe I will find out sooner rather than later. But as of right now… no."

Seth, whom sat beside me on the floor, sobbed silently. "No…"

"Let's not give up!" Emily said suddenly. She grinned at all of us from the wall near the door. "Nothing's impossible. And yeah, things seem pretty bleak right now, but with a little patience, I'm sure we can find out a way to fix this."

"Yeah!" Kim agreed. "Sam is still there, and he's fighting. I can totally tell! And Seth is fighting as well. All we have to do is learn more about the… um… demon problem. It will be tough, but something in my mind, gut, heart, and _soul_ tells me that we _will_ find a way!"

Suddenly, I started laughing out loud. "Oh my God. Okay, punch me if you want to, but um… this totally reminds me of a soap opera─"

"Oh, for the love of all that's holy! You cannot stay serious for two seconds!" Paul laughed loudly. "_Everything_ reminds you of a soap opera, Jake."

"I think I can hear the organ playing in the background." Seth snickered. I was so happy to hear him cheering up. Emily and Kim's words suddenly had truth in them. I _will_ find a way, even if it kills me. That's my job as Alpha. I can do this. I just have to believe…

Okay, now I'm starting to sound like a crappy Disney movie. That only me laugh even harder. My laugh was contagious, and soon everyone was laughing.

This isn't over. No, this is just the beginning. This is _my_ town, and I'm not gonna let this bring me down!

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***Sigh*… Well, folks, that ends the story… **_**for now**_**! ****Muwahahaha!!! Anyways, I really hoped you liked it. I believe I will put up the sequel to this story sometime in April (I think). If any of you have any ideas, please pm me and let me know! I'm all open for suggestions. Here's the summary to the sequel (this summary is a rough draft and is not set in stone):**

As everyone settles into the new rules, with the treaty gone and demons pending, drama is not far off in the distance. And as Jacob becomes more busier with Alpha business, his friendship with the rest of the pack diminishes. As relationships break apart, so do the Cullens' sanity. And as everyone becomes irritable, fights break out, tears are shed, and Reneesme is slowly declining into depression.

On top of all of this, when a new kid comes to La Push, Leah Imprints on him. How will Jacob manage this while trying to find ways to save his friends? We'll find out in the next installment: _**Amid The White Flag**_


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